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Syria

Policy Analysis on Syria

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Articles & Testimony
After Assad: Navigating Syria Policy (Part 1)
The Institute’s managing director testified before a Senate panel on U.S. policy post-Assad, explaining how patience, pragmatism, and a willingness to lead can help Washington avoid its past vacillation between excessive intervention and exasperated neglect in the Middle East.
Feb 13, 2025
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  • Michael Singh
Articles & Testimony
After Assad: Navigating Syria Policy (Part 2)
The Institute’s director of research testified before a Senate panel on U.S. policy post-Assad, explaining how Washington has another chance for impactful bipartisan action five years after the Syria Study Group.
Feb 13, 2025
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  • Dana Stroul
Syria's interim leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, addresses soldiers loyal to the new regime - source: Reuters
Brief Analysis
The Status of Syria’s Transition After Two Months
While the new government’s relative stability is a success, more details are needed on developing and implementing a national dialogue, a new constitution, and inclusivity measures.
Feb 12, 2025
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  • Aaron Y. Zelin
German and French foreign ministers meet with Syria's interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus - source: Reuters
Brief Analysis
The Paris Conference on Syria: Coordination and a Roadmap Are Needed
To set up a future where U.S. forces and constant U.S. attention are no longer needed in Syria, Washington must be involved now, and smart transatlantic engagement could facilitate this goal.
Feb 11, 2025
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  • Devorah Margolin
  • Souhire Medini
Illustration of chess pieces and the Russian and Ukrainian flags - source: Reuters
Articles & Testimony
Ukraine Can Help Dismantle Russia’s Influence in the Middle East
With strategic Western support on grain deliveries, embassy staffing, counter-messaging, and other initiatives, Ukraine can contribute much to rolling back Moscow’s malign influence in the region.
Feb 11, 2025
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  • Anna Borshchevskaya
The Syria Breakdown Series Title Card
Video
Articles & Testimony
The Syria Breakdown, Episode Four: Revolutionary Rebuilding and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS)
What are the risks and potential rewards for Washington and its partners working with the new government of Syria, which is led by members of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS)?
Feb 6, 2025
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  • Aaron Y. Zelin
A local resident walks in front of a sign promoting a USAID-funded project in Hebron - source: Reuters
Brief Analysis
Trump’s Foreign Assistance Review Prioritizes Funding Over Policy
Cutting aid programs is not inherently wrong—but making those cuts before assessing their specific impact on regional allies and American lives could be disastrous for U.S. policy in the Middle East.
Feb 5, 2025
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  • Ben Fishman
Sudani Iran 2
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
PMF Non-Deployment to Save Assad: Sudani’s View Contradicted by Iran
The Iraqi prime minister portrayed Baghdad's non-intervention in Syria as a sovereign decision, but Iranian leaders gave a different explanation.
Jan 21, 2025
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  • Hamdi Malik
◆ Militia Spotlight
Articles & Testimony
In Syria, America Should Be Ruthlessly Focused on the Islamic State
With the U.S. military presence on a potentially short timetable, officials should prioritize policies that ensure the continued security of Islamic State detention facilities, such as brokering local ceasefire agreements and alleviating Turkish concerns.
Jan 17, 2025
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  • Joseph Votel
  • Elizabeth Dent
The Syria Breakdown Series Title Card
Video
Articles & Testimony
The Syria Breakdown, Episode Three: Turkey Turns an Enemy into an Ally
In this episode of the Institute’s Syria Breakdown series, Turkey analyst Soner Cagaptay traces the revolutionary transformation of Ankara's relationship with Damascus from heated enemies to the closest of allies.
Jan 14, 2025
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  • Soner Cagaptay
◆ The Syria Breakdown
Articles & Testimony
In Syria, the U.S. Can Help Rebuild While Supplanting Russian Influence
Moscow’s position has weakened, but not for long, raising the need for quick U.S. action on sanctions, investments, and broader economic assistance.
Jan 11, 2025
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  • Anna Borshchevskaya
Chinese and U.S. flags flutter at a trade meeting in Shanghai
Articles & Testimony
Assad’s Fall Is an Opportunity for a U.S. Win Over China
Beijing consistently supported the regime’s brutal repressive measures, so cozying up to the rebel-led transition government may be more difficult than it expects.
Jan 5, 2025
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  • Grant Rumley
The Syria Breakdown Series Title Card
Video
Articles & Testimony
The Syria Breakdown, Episode Two: Putin's Playground
In this episode of the Institute’s Syria Breakdown series, Russia analyst Anna Borshchevskaya explains why Russia's long military intervention in Syria failed to protect the regime of its local ally, Bashar al-Assad, from collapse in the face of a stunning rebel advance.
Jan 3, 2025
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  • Anna Borshchevskaya
◆ The Syria Breakdown
A fighter from Syria's de-facto post-Assad government checks a civilian's identity documents after a curfew was imposed in the Alawite-majority city of Homs in December 2024 - source: Reuters
Brief Analysis
Alawites Under Threat in Syria?
At a time when Westerners are questioning the Islamist takeover in Damascus, Sunni Arab treatment of the Assad family’s broader Alawite base will offer insights into the nascent government’s true stance on religious tolerance, transitional justice, and state-building.
Dec 31, 2024
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  • Fabrice Balanche
Syrian rebel leader Abu Mohammed al-Jolana speaks on the phone during the campaign to take Damascus in December 2024 - source: Reuters
Brief Analysis
Washington Returns to Damascus with High Stakes for Syria’s Transition
The delegation’s findings on key political and security issues will have a major impact on future U.S. engagement with Syria’s new leaders, including the decision on whether or not to remove sanctions.
Dec 20, 2024
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  • Aaron Y. Zelin
Syrians celebrate the fall of the Assad regime in Majdal Shams - source: Reuters
Video
Brief Analysis
Building a Post-Assad Syria: How to Ensure the Process Reflects the Will of the People
Syrian civil society figures join a former U.S. official to discuss local sentiments on the ground and assess the daunting challenges of building a better state.
Dec 20, 2024
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  • Andrew J. Tabler
  • Ibrahim Al-Assil
  • Farouq Habib
  • Rafif Jouejati
  • Mahmoud Meslat
The Syria Breakdown Series Title Card
Video
Articles & Testimony
The Syria Breakdown, Episode One: Why Assad Fell
In the first episode of the Institute’s Syria Breakdown series, Syria analyst Andrew Tabler explains the domestic and foreign factors that led to the Assad government’s rapid demise.
Dec 19, 2024
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  • Andrew J. Tabler
◆ The Syria Breakdown
Brief Analysis
Israel and the Fall of Assad: Rejoice, Repel, Reach Out, Reload
Prompt military action is helping Israel counter the immediate security risks of Syria’s sudden upheaval, but additional efforts will be needed to seize the broader opportunities of this new era.
Dec 18, 2024
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  • Assaf Orion
Articles & Testimony
Did Assad’s Fall in Syria Really Weaken Russia?
Moscow is already taking steps to ensure that it can continue confounding U.S. interests in Ukraine and Syria even if the outcomes on these fronts wind up differently than expected.
Dec 17, 2024
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  • Anna Borshchevskaya
Workers package Syrian pound currency notes at the Syrian Central Bank in Damascus following the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024 - source: Reuters
Brief Analysis
How Hayat Tahrir al-Sham Landed on U.S. Terrorist Lists—and Why It Should Stay There for Now
Although some near-term waivers should be issued to help untangle the complicated web of designations and facilitate humanitarian aid, any broader delisting of HTS, Jolani, and others needs to be earned, not gifted.
Dec 17, 2024
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  • Matthew Levitt

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Linda and Tony Rubin Program on Arab Politics

The Washington Institute's Linda and Tony Rubin Program on Arab Politics focuses on social, political, and economic developments in the Arab world, with an emphasis on the Arab countries of the Levant.

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Featured experts

Andrew J. Tabler
Andrew J. Tabler
Andrew J. Tabler is the Martin J. Gross Senior Fellow in the Linda and Tony Rubin Program on Arab Politics at The Washington Institute, where he focuses on Syria and U.S. policy in the Levant.
Grant Rumley
Grant Rumley
Grant Rumley is the Meisel-Goldberger Senior Fellow and Director of the Diane and Guilford Glazer Foundation Program on Great Power Competition and the Middle East at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
David Schenker
David Schenker
David Schenker is the Taube Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute and director of the Linda and Tony Rubin Program on Arab Politics. He is the former Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs.
Elizabeth Dent - source: The Washington Institute
Elizabeth Dent
Elizabeth Dent is a Senior Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, where she focuses on U.S. foreign and defense policy toward the Gulf states, Iraq, and Syria.
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