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A regular survey of experts on matters relating to Middle Eastern and North African politics and security.
Since 2011, borderlands in the MENA region transformed into considerable sites of contested power by a plethora of actors.
The Iraqi-Syrian border near Qaim and Bukamal has become a magnet for conflict, as Iraqi and Syrian state actors compete with Iranian-backed nonstate militias for influence and power.
Russia faces opportunities and challenges as it seeks to restructure and reform the Syrian armed forces, which it sees as a key to concluding the civil war on terms favorable to the Assad regime, containing Iranian involvement, and winding down Russia’s combat role.
Russian-led military reform in Syria can deal with the twin challenges of weak sovereignty and Iranian influence by committing to developing Syrian military education, training a highly mobile force, and monitoring the political reconciliation process over the long term.
Even though the Syrian civil war is far from over, Russian advisers can use their experience modernizing Syrian forces from 2015 to prepare for an effective postwar force structure.
Building on its own postwar experience, Russia should support the restructuring of the special services in Syria in order to ensure Russia’s lasting influence.
Russia faces a conundrum in Syria: how to modernize the armed forces while the regime’s political priorities undermine proposed reforms in personnel management, force generation, and unit organization.
A regular survey of experts on matters relating to Middle Eastern and North African politics and security.
Istanbul has become a refuge for many Arab communities, but the city’s cosmopolitan ways are also changing them.
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