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Russia
commentary
Russia's Wars and Trump
Colin P. Clarke @ColinPClarke, William Courtney @courtneywmh
Jul 11, 2018
The Hill
At the July 16 summit in Helsinki, President Trump might stress that the West will persist in imposing costs on Russia for current and any future malign interventions. At the same time, he could offer to work with Putin in the search for peace in Syria and Ukraine if Moscow were to decide to withdraw its forces.
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Security Cooperation
commentary
Time to Make a Deal on Syria
Samuel Charap @scharap, Jeffrey Martini
Jul 10, 2018
Foreign Policy
U.S. leverage is much diminished by the Assad regime's recent gains but there are still opportunities for Washington and Russia to achieve a settlement that preserves some U.S. interests. These include maintaining the gains made against the Islamic State and constraining Iranian influence in Syria.
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Syria
commentary
What Does Mission Accomplished in Syria Really Mean?
Daniel M. Gerstein @Daniel_Gerstein
Apr 30, 2018
United Press International
The use of chemicals cannot be allowed to become an acceptable form of warfare either in Syria or anywhere else. Mission accomplishment in Syria, just like in chemical weapon nonproliferation, will require far more than missile strikes alone.
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Peacekeeping and Stability Operations
commentary
Stabilization Is Essential to Accomplishing the Mission
Linda Robinson @RobinsonL100
Apr 24, 2018
The RAND Blog
There's good reason to hope that the forthcoming policy on stabilization in places like Iraq will get the United States to the right middle road. But this new effort will fall short if Congress doesn't maintain the necessary funding for the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development.
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Refugees
commentary
Europe's Great Challenge: Integrating Syrian Refugees
Ernesto F. L. Amaral, Mahlet A. Woldetsadik, Gabriela Armenta
Apr 20, 2018
Georgetown Journal of International Affairs
Since March, 2011, close to 1 million Syrian refugees have requested asylum in European countries, with Germany being the primary destination. Social and economic policies to deal with the refugee crisis will require collaborative planning, monitoring, and assessment efforts to be successful.
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Chemical Terrorism
commentary
Arms Control Hostage to Skripal and Syria Attacks
William Courtney @courtneywmh
Apr 19, 2018
RealClearDefense
Two prominent poisoning assassination attempts and Kremlin denials of gas attacks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad raise doubts about Moscow's commitment to the purposes of the Chemical Weapons Convention. Never has the future of negotiated arms control involving Russia been at greater risk.
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Chemical Weapons and Warfare
commentary
A Norm in Crisis: Implications of Persistent Chemical Weapons Use
Natasha Lander
Apr 18, 2018
RealClearDefense
The international community should consider serious options to hold perpetrators of chemical attacks accountable and stop further attacks. These are not easy choices. But the alternative is accepting that long-held norms are crumbling, and the world is sliding back to a time when inhumane tools of war were common.
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Turkey
commentary
Turkey's Double Standard: How Ankara's Actions Contradict Its Claims of Opposing the Islamic State
Ahmet S. Yayla, Colin P. Clarke @ColinPClarke
Apr 13, 2018
Foreign Policy
Turkey wants to take credit for the demise of the Islamic State, insisting that Turkey's actions in northern Syria have helped lay the groundwork for a sustainable peace. But the evidence clearly suggests otherwise.
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Syria
commentary
Conditioning American Withdrawal from Syria
James Dobbins @Jim_Dobbins, Jeffrey Martini
Apr 9, 2018
Al-Monitor
U.S. forces will soon withdraw from Syria, and the U.S. State Department put a hold on further stabilization assistance to areas liberated from the Islamic State. The U.S. and its partners should offer stabilization and reconstruction help, particularly in regions where much of the damage was the result of American-supported military operations.
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Turkey
commentary
What's Turkey Trying to Achieve in Syria?
Ahmet S. Yayla, Colin P. Clarke @ColinPClarke
Apr 2, 2018
The National Interest
Turkish President Erdoğan is attempting to cement his political legitimacy among Syrian Sunnis by portraying himself as their savior. If the United States withdraws from Syria after the mission to defeat ISIS is complete, it will essentially be ceding the advantage to Erdoğan, who can continue pushing his agenda.
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Domestic Violence
commentary
Tackling Gender-Based Violence Among Syrian Refugees in Lebanon
Mahlet A. Woldetsadik
Mar 22, 2018
The RAND Blog
Increased poverty and major shifts in traditional gender roles for Syrian refugees have worsened interpersonal tensions, increased the risk of domestic violence, and caused challenges for aid workers.
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Israel
commentary
Israel Prepares to Take on Iran and Hezbollah in Syria
Richard C. Baffa @R_Baffa
Feb 19, 2018
Newsweek
Clashes between Israeli, Iranian, and Syrian forces have injected new volatility into the Middle East. This increases the likelihood of miscalculation and escalatory military action across the region.
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Terrorism Threat Assessment
commentary
Expanding the ISIS Brand
Colin P. Clarke @ColinPClarke
Feb 19, 2018
The National Interest
Since its founding, the Islamic State has consistently expanded and contracted in order to achieve its objectives. To discern how ISIS might continue to expand, it makes sense to trace Al Qaeda's trajectory, which followed a similar pattern in the 2000s.
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Syria
commentary
Tillerson's All of the Above Policy for Syria
James Dobbins @Jim_Dobbins
Feb 1, 2018
Newsweek
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson proposed to suppress any ISIS resurgence in Syria, oust Bashar al Assad, reduce Iranian influence, continue to back a Kurdish-dominated enclave, and reassure Turkey. It's important to understand why such an “all of the above” approach would not be workable.
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United States
blog
Trump's First State of the Union: Insights from RAND
Jan 31, 2018
RAND research, analysis, and expertise provide context for the issues discussed in the president's first State of the Union address, including infrastructure, North Korea, and opioids.
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Iran
commentary
Counteracting Iran's Gray Zone Strategy in Syria
Colin P. Clarke @ColinPClarke
Jan 25, 2018
Lawfare
Iran is extending its influence throughout Syria as the Islamic State's influence declines. To counter Iranian efforts and the inevitable similar actions of other countries, the United States should dedicate significant resources to crafting its own strategy to prevent Tehran from taking advantage of the current conflict and humanitarian crisis.
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Syria

Russia's Wars and Trump

Time to Make a Deal on Syria

What Does Mission Accomplished in Syria Really Mean?

Stabilization Is Essential to Accomplishing the Mission

Europe's Great Challenge: Integrating Syrian Refugees

Arms Control Hostage to Skripal and Syria Attacks

A Norm in Crisis: Implications of Persistent Chemical Weapons Use

Turkey's Double Standard: How Ankara's Actions Contradict Its Claims of Opposing the Islamic State

Conditioning American Withdrawal from Syria

What's Turkey Trying to Achieve in Syria?

Tackling Gender-Based Violence Among Syrian Refugees in Lebanon

Israel Prepares to Take on Iran and Hezbollah in Syria

Expanding the ISIS Brand

Tillerson's All of the Above Policy for Syria

Trump's First State of the Union: Insights from RAND

Counteracting Iran's Gray Zone Strategy in Syria

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