Publications

Russian Airstrikes in Syria: January 12 - 19, 2016

January 20, 2016 - Genevieve Casagrande

Russian air operations shifted eastward on January 18-19, targeting ISIS-held terrain in Homs, ar-Raqqa and Deir ez-Zour Provinces following a major attack on Deir ez-Zour City by ISIS. ISIS launched an offensive against regime positions on the northwestern outskirts of Deir ez-Zour on January 17, seizing two villages and several military installations under the cover of a major sandstorm that reportedly grounded both regime and Russian aircraft.

Competing Visions for Syria and Iraq: The Myth of an Anti-ISIS Grand Coalition

January 20, 2016 - Kimberly Kagan

This second report defines American strategic objectives in Iraq and Syria, identifies the minimum necessary conditions for ending the conflicts there, and compares U.S. objectives with those of Iran, Russia, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia in order to understand actual convergences and divergences.

Competing Visions for Syria and Iraq: The Myth of an Anti-ISIS Grand Coalition

January 20, 2016 - Jennifer Cafarella

This second report defines American strategic objectives in Iraq and Syria, identifies the minimum necessary conditions for ending the conflicts there, and compares U.S. objectives with those of Iran, Russia, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia in order to understand actual convergences and divergences.

Competing Visions for Syria and Iraq: The Myth of an Anti-ISIS Grand Coalition

January 20, 2016 - Harleen Gambhir

This second report defines American strategic objectives in Iraq and Syria, identifies the minimum necessary conditions for ending the conflicts there, and compares U.S. objectives with those of Iran, Russia, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia in order to understand actual convergences and divergences.

Competing Visions for Syria and Iraq: The Myth of an Anti-ISIS Grand Coalition

January 20, 2016 - Chris Kozak

This second report defines American strategic objectives in Iraq and Syria, identifies the minimum necessary conditions for ending the conflicts there, and compares U.S. objectives with those of Iran, Russia, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia in order to understand actual convergences and divergences.

Competing Visions for Syria and Iraq: The Myth of an Anti-ISIS Grand Coalition

January 20, 2016 - Hugo Spaulding

This second report defines American strategic objectives in Iraq and Syria, identifies the minimum necessary conditions for ending the conflicts there, and compares U.S. objectives with those of Iran, Russia, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia in order to understand actual convergences and divergences.

Iraq Situation Report: January 12 - 19, 2016

January 20, 2016 - Patrick Martin

Iraqi Shi’a militias significantly escalated their confrontation with the U.S. by kidnapping three American contractors and an interpreter in southern Baghdad on January 15.

One-pager: Al Qaeda and ISIS: Existential threats to the US and Europe

January 20, 2016 - John Lawrence

Terrorist attacks in Paris, France, and San Bernardino, California, have focused the West on the threat that militant Salafi-jihadist groups, such as the Islamic State of Iraq and al Sham (ISIS) and al Qaeda, pose to its security and way of life. However, current strategies to address the threat are inadequate.

One-pager: Competing Visions for Iraq and Syria: The Myth of an Anti-ISIS Grand Coalition

January 20, 2016 - John Lawrence

Negotiations between the Syrian regime and elements of the Syrian armed opposition are scheduled to begin on January 25, 2016, in Geneva to lay the groundwork for a ceasefire and political transition. But can they accomplish anything? Competing objectives among the international community will likely undermine the success of any proposed long-term solution.

Al Qaeda and ISIS: Existential Threats to the U.S. and Europe

January 19, 2016 - Kimberly Kagan

The Institute for the Study of War and AEI's Critical Threats Project conducted an intensive multi-week exercise to frame, design, and evaluate potential courses of action that the United States could pursue to defeat the threat from ISIS and al Qaeda in Iraq and Syria. This first report examines America’s global grand strategic objectives as they relate to ISIS and al Qaeda and considers the nature of those enemy groups in depth and in their global context.

Pages