The Trump administration’s Syria policy resembled a Rorschach inkblot—an ambiguous shape to which observers could ascribe their own preferred meaning.
Russia is back and here to stay. Others had better accept it and learn to deal with it — without undue expectations, but also without inordinate fear.
Turkey’s incursion into northern Syria has put further strain on its soured relationship with the EU.
The jihadi threat, while still dangerous, has been overtaken by the scourge of homegrown right-wing extremist terror.
Does the death of al-Baghdadi herald the end of the self-proclaimed Islamic State? In a word: No.
The United States has a special obligation to those who supported or fought alongside American forces, particularly when their plight is so directly tied to American decisions.
Trump’s public rollout, his overt partisanship, and the absence of a post-Baghdadi strategy to deal with the self-proclaimed Islamic State in Syria may well rob the administration of any lasting political and strategic gain from a well-deserved accomplishment.
Syria’s Armenians risk losing their identity and language as they move to the Republic of Armenia.
Trump deserves full credit for approving the operation that led to Baghdadi’s demise. It’s a shame the information that led to the raid apparently did not come to him before the tragic decision to abruptly pull U.S. Special Forces from much of northeastern Syria.
The Kremlin is riding high in the Middle East, where Russia’s military intervention in Syria has changed the course of the country’s civil war. The Kremlin’s actions in the Middle East have deep historical roots, but potential Russian influence should not be over-exaggerated.
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