Syria

Is This Obama’s Golden Foreign Policy Moment?

By Barry Pavel

Four Key Lessons for the Rest of the Obama Term President Barack Obama’s tough speech before the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday struck a very different tone from his past foreign policy speeches, which often highlighted the drawdown of US military forces from overseas conflicts. Instead, this time, and before a global audience, President […]

Air Strikes in Syria: One Hand Clapping

By Frederic C. Hof

The decision of the Obama administration to strike Islamic State targets (as well as some associated with another al-Qaeda derivative) in Syria is laudable. The participation of multiple Arab partners is commendable: the fight against this vacuum-filling band of murderers, torturers, and thieves is, in its essence, an Arab fight against pagan barbarism.

Here’s How the US Attacks on ISIS Might Alter the Civil War in Syria

By New Atlanticist

As the United States conducts missile and air strikes on the Islamic State of Iraq and Sham (ISIS) in Syria, it could reap the additional strategic benefit of tilting the war there away from the Assad regime and jihadist forces, and in favor of the mainstream rebel groups to which it has given some support. […]

Who Benefits After US Airstrikes in Syria?

By Faysal Itani

US airstrikes against ISIS have so far focused on its positions in Deir Ezzor, Hasaka, and Raqqa provinces—the latter being the capital province of the so-called Caliphate—and include Raqqa city, Tabqa, Ain Issa, Deir Ezzor city, and Tel Abyad.

The US Begins Bombing ISIS: Will President Obama’s Strategy Work?

The ‘Islamic State’ Cannot Be Destroyed with Syria’s Assad in Power, Fred Hof Says  As the United States opens a campaign of airstrikes against the brutal militants of ISIS, Atlantic Council Senior Fellow Fred Hof says the US aim of destroying the group will require the overthrow of Syria’s also-brutal president, Bashar al-Assad. Removing the […]

Fighting the Islamic State in Syria

By Frederic C. Hof

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has shared with the world his deep concern over publicly stated US intentions to attack Islamic State positions in Syria “without interaction with the Syrian government.”