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SyriaSource

Oct 19, 2016

Assad Ends ‘Damascus Reconciliations’ and Makes Stopping the Bombing Conditional on the Opposition’s Departure

By Hosam al-Jablawi

A few days after the Syrian regime forcibly evicted residents of Darayya, it began bombing areas around the capital of Damascus, despite the long-term truce between regime forces and opposition factions in these towns that had been in effect since 2014. According to the truce, the regime would not target residential areas and displaced persons […]

Syria

IranSource

Oct 19, 2016

New Paper Advises Obama Successor to Take Risks with Iran

By Barbara Slavin

As a bruising and dispiriting US election campaign draws to a close, it is time to start planning for a transition that builds on the legacy of the Barack Obama administration and looks for new opportunities for resolution of foreign as well as domestic conflicts.

Iran

New Atlanticist

Oct 19, 2016

Building on the Iran Nuclear Deal

By Ashish Kumar Sen

The next president of the United States must build on the opportunity provided by the nuclear deal to normalize ties with Iran, said Ellen Laipson, a distinguished fellow at the Atlantic Council, in Washington on October 19. “Iran is not a peer adversary of the United States. We should be able to manage the challenge […]

Iran

In the News

Oct 19, 2016

Khoury Joins Kurdistan24 to Discuss Iraqi-Kurdish Relations

By Nabeel Khoury

Iraq

SyriaSource

Oct 19, 2016

Assad Wants to Rule Syria, but Economics Say Otherwise

By Mona Alami

Emboldened by his troops’ advances across Syria, President Bashar al-Assad declared in July 2016 that he could retake the whole of Syria in just a “few months” if other countries withdrew their support from rebel and jihadi factions. Despite Assad’s confident appraisal, the destruction of the country’s economy will prevent him from reuniting the country […]

Syria

In the News

Oct 19, 2016

Khoury Joins WBEZ to Discuss a Ceasefire for Yemen

By Nabeel Khoury

Listen to the full interview here.

Yemen

In the News

Oct 19, 2016

Alyahya Quoted by Newsweek on the Execution of Saudi Prince Turki Bin Saud Al-Kabir

By Mohammed Alyahya

Read the full article here.

Saudi Arabia

Atlantic Council Strategy Paper Series

Oct 19, 2016

A new strategy for US-Iran relations in transition

By Ellen Laipson

Framing a sustainable and achievable strategy toward Iran will be a high priority for the next administration. In the sixth Atlantic Council Strategy Paper, A New Strategy for US-Iran Relations in Transition, Ellen Laipson presents a new strategy to reduce prospects for a military confrontation with Iran; improve the regional security environment by working with trusted partners and with Iran; and, eventually, enable Iran and the United States to build cooperation in diverse areas of shared concern.

Iran Politics & Diplomacy

SyriaSource

Oct 18, 2016

Russia Has Never Been Serious about Lifting the Siege on Aleppo, So Why the Temporary Ceasefire Now?

By Haid Haid

On October 17, 2016, Russia’s defense minister announced that Russian and Syrian forces would be halting hostilities for eight hours in the eastern districts of Aleppo on October 20 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. This brief cease-fire will supposedly allow for the free passage of civilians, evacuation of the sick and wounded, and withdrawal […]

Syria

IranSource

Oct 18, 2016

Iran’s Sluggish Economy Post-JCPOA

By Mehrnaz Samimi

The explosive title of an article published Oct. 13 by the Iranian Student News Agency gave a dire picture of Iran’s economy after the nuclear deal and underlined concerns about the agreement’s durability. “The real rate of unemployment reaches 80% in some Iranian cities,” was the headline, a quote from the chief of an anti-narcotics commission working […]

Iran

Experts