Kurds
Can Post-Assad Clashes In Syria Be Stopped?
Finding common ground with Turkey will be critical to Syria’s transition. Security continues to deteriorate in northeast Syria as ongoing clashes threaten the country’s transition towards an era of stabilization...
Syria’s Future Depends On The Kurds
After more than fifty years of iron-fisted rule, the Assad regime in Syria was finally overthrown a few weeks ago. Leading the rebel onslaught against the regime was Ahmed Hussein...
After Assad: Syria’s Fractured Path Forward
British journalist Patrick Seale’s book Asad of Syria: The Struggle for the Middle East (1989) offers crucial insight into the domestic, regional, and international forces that have shaped Syria’s trajectory....
The Syrian Kurds Are In Erdogan’s Crosshairs
The siege of Kobani from September 2014 until January 2015 and its heroic defense by Kurdish forces in northern Syria was the turning point in the war against the Islamic...
The Wars That Could Define The Donald Trump Presidency
Almost every president since the end of the Cold War had his foreign policy legacy defined by a war no one could have foreseen. For George H.W. Bush, it was...
The Kurds Are America’s Best Bet In Syria
The fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime has left a variety of factions fighting for power in Syria. Although none yet presents a clear threat of terrorism to the United States,...
Syria Is At A Crossroads. What’s At Stake Now?
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his defense minister went up to the highest peak on Mount Hermon on December 17. This area of the mountain overlooks Lebanon, southern Syria,...
The Future of Syria’s Kurds
As Syrians celebrate the end of the tyrannical regime of Bashar al-Assad, the war-weary Syrian state faces a combustible set of challenges to its political, security, and territorial governance. Hayat...
America Must Not Abandon Its Kurdish Partners In Syria
With the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, an ongoing Turkish-backed campaign by the Syrian National Army (SNA) rebels against the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) threatens to unravel Syria’s only...
Syria’s Tribal Violence Threatens U.S. Troops
In early August, northeast Syria experienced a major uptick in violence unseen since nearly identical fighting broke out between the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and local Arab tribes one...
Is it Time to Plan a No-Fly Zone over Iranian Kurdistan?
Ebrahim Raisi’s sudden death last weekend renewed attention to the Iranian succession question. While Raisi was the frontrunner to succeed eighty-five-year-old Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, all bets are now...
After Election Disappointment, Erdogan Faces Difficult Meeting with President Biden
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is scheduled to meet with U.S. President Joe Biden in Washington on May 9. Perhaps this time, the Turkish head of state can persuade his...