From the Congressional Research Service, a report on Armed Conflict in Syria: Overview and U.S. Response. The new Arab order: Power and violence in today’s Middle East. Iraq’s post-ISIS campaign of revenge: The corruption and cruelty of the state’s response to suspected jihadis and their families seem likely to lead to the resurgence of the terror group. Is major realignment taking place in the Middle East? Why Turkey is pivoting toward Iran and Russia. Syria’s last bastion of freedom: Amid the brutal civil war, a town fought off the regime and the fundamentalists and dared to hold an election — can its experiment in democracy survive? Muhammad Idrees Ahmad on how Assad made truth a casualty of war.
Christopher Rossi (Iowa): Game of Thrones: The Qatar Crisis and Forced Expulsions on the Arabian Peninsula. Beth Van Schaack (Stanford): Transitional Justice Pre-Transition: The International Community’s Efforts in Syria. The case for leaving Syria: With the military and various domestic programs facing budget cuts, the United States shouldn’t be throwing more money at the Middle East. Can a new president and prime minister solve Iraq’s broken politics? The next Arab uprising: Marwan Muasher on the collapse of authoritarianism in the Middle East. “Ideas cannot be killed with weapons”: Why the assassination of Raed Fares, Syria’s most prominent citizen journalist, matters.
Michael P. Scharf (Case Western): Striking a Grotian Moment: How the Syria Airstrikes Changed International Law Relating to Humanitarian Interventions. The Great Game in West Asia examines the strategic competition between Iran and Turkey for power and influence in the South Caucasus. What elections in Iran can teach us about voting in the United States. Are U.S. troops really leaving Syria? No one knows what’s happening with Trump’s Syria decision.
