Though it has fallen out of the headlines because of the Iran war, Syria has had a dramatically consequential summer. Hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj are joined by MEI Senior Fellow Charles Lister to take stock of recent developments: the dissolution of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, Israeli strikes and the friction with Turkey they have exposed, the standoff in Sweida, as well as Damascus’s bid to turn Syria into a trade corridor between the Mediterranean and the Gulf. Is the transition consolidating or fragmenting nearly two years after the fall of the Assad regime?
With sanctions repealed, Syrian policymakers must ensure that growing volumes of credit reach beyond the narrow political and commercial networks that have generally dominated Syrian finance. That will require a credit strategy aimed at sectors and regions historically excluded from formal finance. Syria’s specialized state banks offer an imperfect but ready-made mechanism to do so.
In many ways, the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran and the war in Gaza that preceded it seem transformative. After decades of shadow warfare, Iran and Israel have now attacked each other’s homelands directly. And Israel and the United States have joined forces in a genuinely novel way to wage war against Iran.
MEI’s Syria Initiative seeks to provide insightful and grounded research and analysis on all things Syria in order to better inform a wide range of audiences and to help sustain and shape a more meaningful policy-oriented discussion.
The Middle East Institute, The Atlantic Council, and European Institute of Peace collaborate with subject matter experts and policymakers in the US, Europe, and the Middle East to develop a holistic strategy to sustainably forge a pathway to resolving Syria’s crisis.
Soleimani Hails Iranian Health Ministry’s Aid to Wounded Combatants in Syria
Iran’s Quds Force Commander Major General Qassem Soleimani has thanked the country’s Ministry of Health for providing assistance to his forces and Iranian-controlled militiamen fighting in Syria under his command.
New Iranian Ambassador Arrives in Damascus after Six-Month Hiatus
Iran’s new ambassador to Syria, Javad Torkabadi, presented his credentials to Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem on Wednesday, the Iranian media reports. He arrived in Damascus on Tuesday and was welcomed by Iranian and Syrian officials, including Syrian Social Affairs Minister Rima al-Qadiri.
Testimony: Syria After the Missile Strikes: Policy Options
The following testimony was presented to the United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs on April 27, 2017.
Mr. Chairman, Mr. Ranking Member, Members of the Committee:
First, thank you for providing me with this opportunity to speak to you today, and to address the situation in Syria and what policy options the United States might consider going forward.
Iran Reportedly Offers to Deploy Ground Forces to Syria to Counter Potential U.S.-led Intervention
The latest air strikes on an airport near Damascus purportedly by Israel and increased U.S. military activities on Jordan’s northern border have triggered a concern in Tehran about the possibility of a broader U.S.-led military campaign in Syria.
Iran, Russia and Syria Vow to Continue Joint Military Efforts
Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan and his Russian and Syrian counterparts, Sergey Shoygu and Fahd Jassem al-Freij, stressed that they will co
Turkey's Erdogan Gets His Presidential Wish | Monday Briefing
In this week’s Monday Briefing, MEI experts Gonul Tol, Gerald Feierstein, Alex Vatanka, and Marvin G. Weinbaum provide analysis on recent and upcoming events including the victory of Turkish President Erdogan’s “Yes” constitutional referendum campaign to increase his powers, Secretary of Defense Mattis’ trip to the Middle East, the entry of 1,600 candidates for the upcoming Iranian presidential elections, and the alarming violence in Pakistan against accused “blasphemers”.
Top Iranian Lawmaker: U.S. and Saudi Arabia Defeated in Syria and Yemen
Earlier today, a senior Iranian lawmaker said the United States and its allies have failed in Syria and the broader region and credited Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s leadership for defeating Iran’s “enemies” in foreign lands to safeguard the country’s national security.
Iran, Russia Step up Military Offensive in Syria despite Ceasefire Talks
Iran, Russia and Turkey will begin a two-day trilateral meeting in Tehran on Tuesday to discuss peace talks between the Syrian government and opposition groups, Iran’s Foreign Ministry
Iran and Russia Reaffirm Support for Damascus in Defiance of U.S. Warnings
Foreign ministers of Iran, Syria and Russia warned the United States against further military strikes in Syria and reiterated support for the government of Bashar al-Assad in a trilateral meeting in Moscow on Friday, the Iranian media reports.
President Donald Trump’s decision last week to militarily punish the regime of Bashar al Assad for using chemical weapons caught Syria’s closest ally Iran by surprise. Political and military leaders in Tehran are still uncertain whether the U.S. strikes were a one-time mission or represented a sea change in Washington’s policy in Syria. The Islamic Republic hopes it was the former, but there is a growing concern in Tehran that it may be the beginning of concerted efforts by Washington and its regional Sunni allies to topple Iran’s ally in Damascus.
Iran's Defense Minister Tells Moscow: U.S. “Should Pay Heavy Price” for Future Syria Attacks
Iranian Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan today had separate phone conversations with his Russian and Syrian counterparts and warned that the United States should pay a heavy price for any future attacks against the regime of Iran’s ally Bashar al-Assad in Syria, the Iranian media reported.
MEI’s Syria Initiative seeks to provide insightful and grounded research and analysis on all things Syria in order to better inform a wide range of audiences and to help sustain and shape a more meaningful policy-oriented discussion. Drawing on the expertise of over a dozen renowned scholars, the Syria Program covers all aspects of Syria and its ongoing crises – from political, economic, legal, social, ethnic and religious dynamics, to conflict, insurgency and terrorism and the country’s history and possible futures.
