Syria
Syria's chemical weapons: Khan Sheikhoun attack may not be the last
The recent chemical-weapons atrocity in Syria has been rightly condemned by many countries, including Australia. The attack against the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhoun in Idlib…
Missile strikes do not signal US shift on Syria
In a complex and confusing civil war in which decisions can result in unforeseen consequences, the Trump Administration was presented with a relatively straightforward choice …
Assad and chemical weapons: The regional repercussions
The renewed use by the Assad regime of chemical weapons, possibly sarin, against civilian population centres in Syria - most recently in Idlib - is immoral, illegal, inhuman and…
Assad set to outlast the many who wanted him out
The language emanating from the White House concerning the fate of Syrian President Bashar Assad appeared to change last week, revealing another layer in an increasingly realist…
Syrian safe zones: A planning nightmare
This is the first in what will be a regular weekly post from the Lowy Institute’s West Asia program to bring Interpreter readers up to speed with the latest issues in the Middle…
Muddying the Syrian waters
The number of US boots on the ground in Syria is gradually increasing without, it would appear, a plan to inform the public about what broader purpose the troops' presence serves…
The race for Raqqa
US Secretary of Defense James Mattis is in the process of briefing his draft plan for defeating Islamic State, and is allegedly taking a global strategic perspective. This is only…
The problem with any US strategy on Syria
The problem the United States has always had in crafting a Syria strategy is that Washington never possessed sufficient leverage to ameliorate Bashar al-Assad's behavior…
Once were moderate, vetted warriors
The day before President Obama left office, a US Air Force B-52 bomber struck a training camp used by Jabhat Fatah al-Sham (JFS), the al-Qa'ida affiliate in Syria. The number of…
Trump wants to work with Assad. Can Australia follow?
Among the more notable positions of President-elect Donald Trump are his affinity towards foreign policy mercantilism (viewing world affairs through the prism of financial…