Iran Defends Status Quo in Iraq and Lebanon
Bottom Line Up Front Iran is working with key allies in Iraq and Lebanon to forestall political change in the face of significant protests […] More
Syria
Trump and His Oil Fields
OPINION — President Trump’s sending U.S. military troops to control the oil fields in northern Syria can only be interpreted as introducing financial deal-making into […] More
The Killing of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi
More details are emerging about just how U.S. commandos located and cornered ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi over the weekend as well as questions about […] More
Baghdadi May be Dead, but the So-Called Islamic State Will Live On
Bottom Line Up Front On October 26, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed in a raid by U.S. forces in northern Syria near the Turkish […] More
What ISIS Leader’s Death Could Mean for Al Qaeda
Bruce Hoffman is a professor at Georgetown University and Visiting Senior Fellow for Counterterrorism and Homeland Security at the Council on Foreign Relations. He has served […] More
Russia and Turkey Reach a Deal on Syria
Bottom Line Up Front Earlier in the week, Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Sochi, Russia, where the […] More
Syria: WTF Do We Do Now?
President Trump announced this week that the U.S. had brokered a permanent ceasefire in northeast Syria as he also announced that he would be lifting […] More
Russia Reaps Benefits of U.S. Withdrawal
Bottom Line Up Front As the United States continues its hasty withdrawal from Syria, Russia has consolidated immense leverage in the country. Acting as […] More
Syrian Withdrawal Dangerous Regional Gambit
Cipher Brief Expert Emile Nakhleh is a retired CIA Senior Intelligence Service Officer and founding director of the CIA’s Political Islam Strategic Analysis Program Office. […] More
Where’s a Whistleblower When You Need One?
OPINION – Why is there no Whistleblower in the case of President Trump’s October 6, phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan? Who was […] More
In Syria, Trump Takes U.S. Leadership Down Another Notch
OPINION — President Donald Trump’s decision to remove the small contingent of United States troops remaining in Syria is a disaster on multiple levels. It illustrates not […] More
Turkey Attacks Kurdish Positions in Syria
Bottom Line Up Front On October 9, Turkey launched a cross-border offensive into northern Syria using airstrikes, artillery bombardments, and a ground invasion against […] More
The Far-Reaching Danger of ISIS in Syria
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is defending President Trump’s decision to withdraw support for Kurdish troops in Northeast Syria, saying Turkey has a “legitimate […] More
The United States Betrays Its True Allies in Syria
Bottom Line Up Front On Sunday evening, the Trump administration released a statement from the White House press secretary that signals a major shift […] More
An Epilogue for Syria
The Cipher Brief is bringing you a range of expert perspectives on Syria this week. General Jack Keane (Ret.), the chairman of the Institute for […] More
The Limits of U.S. Influence in Syria
The White House announced Sunday that President Trump will endorse a Turkish military operation near the border with Syria that will target Kurdish forces. Turkey […] More
The U.S. Struggles to Gain Leverage in Syria
Bottom Line Up Front The Assad regime again demanded the immediate withdrawal of U.S. and Turkish troops from Syria, labeling them ‘occupying forces.’ Meanwhile, […] More
Ankara Gravitates Closer To Moscow
Bottom Line Up Front On the heels of its suspension from the U.S. F-35 fighter jet program, Turkey is now reportedly considering joint development […] More