Recent Publications

Contemporary Chemical Weapons Use in Syria and Iraq by the Assad Regime and the Islamic State
February 7, 2019 — Author: Dr Robert J BunkerView the Executive Summary This monograph focuses on an understudied, but yet a critically important and timely component of land warfare, related to the battlefield use of chemical weapons by contemporary threat forces. It will do so by focusing on two case studies related to chemical weapons use in Syria and Iraq by the... MORE

Cover for Contemporary Chemical Weapons Use in Syria and Iraq by the Assad Regime and the Islamic State

Strategic Insights: Strategic Questions Loom Large for President Trump in the Middle East
April 11, 2017 — Dr. Christopher J. Bolan“Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.” Sun TzuThe primary shortcoming of U.S. policymakers since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, has been a consistent inability to translate tactical and operational military successes into sustainable... MORE

Strategic Insights: Will the Russians Escalate in Syria?
November 6, 2015 — Dr. W. Andrew TerrillIn an unexpected effort to protect a key Middle Eastern ally, the Kremlin intervened in Syria with military forces in late September 2015. This effort was undertaken to protect the Bashar Assad regime from Islamist and secular rebels now threatening his regime. Moscow initiated this action with a limited force that may be... MORE

Strategic Insights: The Russian Intervention and the Internal Dynamics of Syria
October 1, 2015 — Dr. W. Andrew TerrillThe Syrian civil war began in March 2011 and has claimed nearly 250,000 lives so far. After over 4 years of internal fighting, the Kremlin has decided to expand its role in this conflict by moving combat aircraft and some ground troops to Syria to support the Bashar al-Assad government. These actions seem like a clear prelude... MORE

Syria and the Peace: A Good Chance Missed
July 7, 1997 — Author: Dr Helena Cobban One of the more dismaying aspects of the current peace process has been the failure of Syria and Israel to make a deal. According to Christian Science Monitor correspondent Helena Cobban, these two long-standing foes came very close to composing their decades-old quarrel. The Syrian and Israeli leaders persevered to... MORE

Assad and the Peace Process: The Pivotal Role of Lebanon
February 1, 1995 — Author: Dr Stephen C Pelletiere The world is waiting for peace in the Middle East. At present the possibility of a settlement is delayed by differences between Israel and Syria. The two are far apart on how to solve one of the thornier problems of the negotiations--the eventual status of the Golan Heights. That Syria's President Assad and Israel's... MORE