Syria, Balance of power, Basing and force posture, Counterterrorism, Middle East, Military analysis

Virtual: Syria after Assad: Prospects for U.S. withdrawal

More than a decade since former president Barack Obama announced Bashar al-Assad "must go," a new government rules in Syria. At its center is Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a group formerly tied to al-Qaeda. The new Trump administration must quickly decide how to deal with HTS and whether to pull out U.S. troops now that the major rationales for keeping them there—combatting ISIS, overthrowing Assad, and forcing Iran's exit—have evaporated.

How does the fall of Assad alter the regional balance of power? What are America's interests in Syria, and how are they affected in the wake of this change of regimes? Will President Trump seek to remove U.S. military forces from Syria, as he did in his first administration? Can and should the U.S. negotiate a deal with NATO ally Turkey on the fate of the Kurds?

Join our distinguished panel of experts to explore these crucial questions and more, as U.S. policy seeks to navigate this realignment in the Middle East.

Event Speakers

Rosemary
Kelanic

Director, Middle East Program

Defense Priorities

Dana
Stroul

Director of Research and Shelly and Michael Kassen Senior Fellow

The Washington Institute for Near East Policy

Steven
Simon

Visiting Professor of Practice

University of Washington

Photo of Daniel DePetris

Daniel
DePetris

Fellow

Defense Priorities