Publications

Russia Security Update: February 2-17, 2016

February 17, 2016 - Hugo Spaulding

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a snap readiness inspection of forces in southwestern Russia and the Crimean Peninsula beginning February 8 including air, naval, and air defense assets as well as up to 8,500 troops. The drills may have been a show of force in response to revelations of Western plans to deploy troops in Eastern Europe and the Baltics. NATO members agreed to increase the alliance’s forward presence along its eastern flank, reportedly with up to 6,000 troops, days after the U.S.

Russian Airstrikes in Syria: February 2 - 16, 2016

February 16, 2016 - Genevieve Casagrande
Russia continues to target opposition forces and civilian infrastructure after brokering a “cessation of hostilities” agreement through the International Syrian Support Group (ISSG) on February 11. Russian air operations against the armed opposition have continued unhindered since the announcement of the agreement.

Russian Airstrikes in Syria: February 2 - 16, 2016

February 16, 2016 - Genevieve Casagrande
Russia continues to target opposition forces and civilian infrastructure after brokering a “cessation of hostilities” agreement through the International Syrian Support Group (ISSG) on February 11. Russian air operations against the armed opposition have continued unhindered since the announcement of the agreement.

Syrian Armed Opposition Forces in Aleppo

February 13, 2016 - Jennifer Cafarella
The United States faces a geostrategic inflection in Syria that it has not yet fully recognized. The “cessation of hostilities” declared on February 11, 2016 permits Russia and the Assad regime to continue targeting U.S. allies in Aleppo under the pretext that the opposition in the city consists predominantly of al Qaeda affiliate Jabhat al Nusra.

Syrian Armed Opposition Forces in Aleppo

February 13, 2016 - Genevieve Casagrande

The United States faces a geostrategic inflection in Syria that it has not yet fully recognized. The “cessation of hostilities” declared on February 11, 2016 permits Russia and the Assad regime to continue targeting U.S. allies in Aleppo under the pretext that the opposition in the city consists predominantly of al Qaeda affiliate Jabhat al Nusra.

Besieged and Hard-to-Reach Regions in Syria: February 12, 2016

February 12, 2016 - Chris Kozak

The International Syria Support Group (ISSG) agreed to secure immediate humanitarian access to six besieged locations in Syria during their most recent meeting in Munich, Germany on February 11, 2016.

How Russia controls American policy

February 12, 2016 - Kimberly Kagan

We’ve seen this movie—now playing in Syria-- before. The Russians have developed a way of getting the U.S. formally to permit offensive Russian military operations against American partners on the ground, all the while calling it a ceasefire.

Iraq Situation Report: February 2 - 11, 2016

February 11, 2016 - Patrick Martin

The U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency Chief, Vincent Stewart, noted that a Mosul operation was unlikely to occur in 2016, underscoring that the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) have far to go before being ready to recapture the city.

Jabhat al Nusra and ISIS: Sources of Strength

February 10, 2016 - Harleen Gambhir

This third report in the series "U.S. Grand Strategy: Destroying ISIS and al Qaeda" assesses the strengths and vulnerabilities of ISIS and al Qaeda affiliate Jabhat al Nusra to serve as the basis for developing a robust and comprehensive strategy to destroy them.

One-pager: Jabhat al Nusra and ISIS: Sources of Strength

February 10, 2016 - John Lawrence

American strategy toward ISIS has misidentified the group’s center of gravity and is inadvertently strengthening Syrian al Qaeda affiliate Jabhat al Nusra. The US approach presumes that regaining Mosul in Iraq and ar Raqqa in Syria will cause ISIS to collapse, and it is not operating against Jabhat al Nusra in any meaningful way.

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