Missile Diplomacy in Syria
April 18, 2018 3 min. read

Syria has been the subject of international attention this week due to the recent strike by US, UK and French forces on chemical facilities operated by Syrian President Assad’s forces. Russia, Syria’s ally on the UN Security Council, has put out several statements condemning actions by Western forces, including hinting at an upgrade of Syria’s […]

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Trump’s Pivot from Isolationism to Interventionism?
April 20, 2017 6 min. read

Trump’s interventionism while staying the course on his approach to immigrants and refugees reveals the fundamental incoherence of his worldview.

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Partition Remains An Option Even After Aleppo
February 25, 2017 10 min. read

Neither a Putin-Assad hegemony nor an inclusive transitional government of a united Syria are solutions after Aleppo. Partition is the solution.

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Turkish Foreign Policy After the Military Coup
August 17, 2016 5 min. read

Immediate speculation following the coup attempt says that Turkey is likely to move further away from the West. But Ankara has deep ties with Europe and is an important member of NATO.

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The UN Should Get a Better Deal from Assad
June 23, 2016 5 min. read

The Syrian government has been exerting a great deal of influence on the actions of the UN aid agencies in Syria. It has leveraged foreign aid workers need for its permission to enter Syria into access to supplies for its supporters while denying vital food and medical aid to civilians trapped in areas outside its control.

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Amid Setbacks, ISIS Embraces Traditional Terrorism Paradigm
May 27, 2016 7 min. read

ISIS has abandoned its blitzkrieg-style land grab. Improvised explosive devices, suicide vests, and car bombs have once again become the order of the day.

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Palmyra and the Battle over History
May 16, 2016 5 min. read

The ancient city of Palmyra has been the stage for mass executions, the destruction of cultural heritage, battles between ISIS and Syrian government forces, and now in an absurd turn of events, a concert put on by Russia’s Mariinsky Theater Orchestra.

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Who Are The Kurds? 
February 25, 2016 3 min. read

The multiplicity of Kurdish national movements throughout the Middle East adds an additional layer of complexity in the fight against ISIS.

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The Timing of ISIS’ Attacks on Paris
December 7, 2015 4 min. read

In quick succession, the set of ISIS attacks in Paris, Sharm el-Sheikh and Beirut suggest that the group has crossed a threshold for international terrorism.

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Candid Discussions: Akin Ünver on Turkish Foreign Policy Challenges
October 27, 2014 13 min. read

Akın Ünver sits down with Reza Akhlaghi of the Foreign Policy Association to discuss Turkey’s current foreign policy challenges and the situation in Kobane.

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Candid Discussions: Mark Dubowitz on Iranian Nuclear Negotiations
September 19, 2014 19 min. read

Mark Dubowitz is executive director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a Washington, D.C.-based nonpartisan policy institute, where he leads projects on Iran, sanctions, nonproliferation, and countering electronic repression.

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The Syrian Presidential Election is Washington’s Problem
June 4, 2014 7 min. read

Syrians lined up today to vote in what was billed by government and allied media outlets as the first multi-candidate election under the Assad family rule. In the run up to the June 3 polls the regime of Bashar al-Assad undertook a savvy public relations campaign to present the incumbent as the sole guarantor of […]

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