Syria

Why Jordan Hesitates to Back Syrian Opposition

By Henry Johnson

As the United States prepares to provide weapons to Syrian rebels, it will rely on Turkey and Jordan to move arms into the country. Jordan will doubtlessly aid the United States, but its willingness to fully support Assad’s ouster remains far from evident. Despite the show of force touted in June’s Eager Lion military exercises, […]

Beyond Syria Spillover: Lebanon’s Troubles Begin and End at Home

Though negative developments in Lebanon are generally viewed as spillover effects from Syria, the more complex reality is that Lebanon’s troubles begin at home and are being heightened to dangerous levels by the turmoil next door.  On July 9, the Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East hosted a discussion with fellow Faysal […]

Syria’s war threatens Lebanon’s fragile economy

By Faysal Itani

Two new issue briefs from the Rafik Hariri Center at the Atlantic Council evaluate the complex and pernicious effects of Syria’s civil war on Lebanon. Author Faysal Itani, Hariri Center fellow, details the economic challenges that Lebanon faces, particularly in light of the Syria crisis, and offers recommendations on how to avoid a protracted economic crisis, […]

Beyond spillover: Syria’s role in Lebanon’s drift toward political violence

By Faysal Itani and Sarah Grebowski

Two new issue briefs from the Rafik Hariri Center at the Atlantic Council evaluate the complex and pernicious effects of Syria’s civil war on Lebanon. In this issue brief, Hariri Center Fellow Faysal Itani and Research Assistant Sarah Grebowski assess the political, security, and humanitarian implications of the Syria crisis in Lebanon. Events in Syria have sharpened existing fault […]

Obama’s Confusing Syria Calculus

By Rajan Menon

There’s something morally perplexing about President Obama’s stance on the war in Syria. It’s not any clearer in its strategic logic.