Commentary
As talks begin between Washington and Tehran, Beirut has an opening to advance a regional plan for the party’s disarmament.
Michael Young
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Source: Getty
In The Media
Will Training Moderate Syrian Rebels Work Against ISIL?
Four years into the conflict in Syria, the United States is screening opposition fighters for the first time to boost war against the Islamic State.
Published on Feb 20, 2015
Source: Al Jazeera Inside Story
The US has screened about 1,200 moderate Syrian rebels to be trained and equipped to battle ISIL in Syria. The U.S. Congress has authorised 500 million dollars to train 5,000 opposition fighters over the next year.
Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar have offered to host training camps, with work expected to get under way as early as March or April.
While their focus is clear, the new U.S. Defence Secretary Ashton Carter also sees other potential benefits Addressing the Congress, he said: “The forces that we're supporting there have first and foremost the job...of defeating ISIL. But I believe that they also need to be creating the conditions for the removal of Assad.”
So, nearly four years into the conflict, with a death toll estimated by the U.N. at more than 220,000, what are the U.S. priorities in Syria, and where do its international allies stand?
This interview was originally aired on Al Jazeera Inside Story.
About the Authors
Mario Abou Zeid
Former Research Analyst, Middle East Center
Abou Zeid was a research analyst at the Carnegie Middle East Center, where his work focuses on political developments in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Iran.
Mike Lyons
Lama Fakih
Lama Fakih is Human Rights Watch’s Middle East and North Africa director and the director of the Beirut office.
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
More Work from Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center
- Lebanon Should Try to Place Hezbollah on the U.S.-Iran Table
- Syria’s Mandatory Imperial TribulationCommentary
In an interview, Elizabeth Thompson recalls how the country formulated a liberal constitution in 1920, before being denied by France and Britain.
Michael Young
- Israel’s Security Means Insecurity in the Middle EastCommentary
As negotiations with Iran and Lebanon continue, chaos is at the heart of the Netanyahu government’s calculations.
Michael Young
- Syria and Jordan by the NumbersCommentary
Trade statistics show why Amman has more reason than Damascus to welcome the improvement in bilateral commerce.
Armenak Tokmajyan
- An Army of “Sons of the Regions”: Syria’s Post-Assad Military OrderArticle
The country’s armed forces have been reorganized as an emergency measure to prevent national fragmentation, however their diffuse structure on the ground may, in the future, serve only to reinforce fragmentation.
Kheder Khaddour
