Experts React: US airstrike in Syria targets Iran-backed militias MENASource by Atlantic Council
On February 25, the US military carried out on February 15 near the Erbil Airport that killed a US military contractor and injured several, including a US service member. With nuclear negotiations on the horizon, what will this mean for the Biden administration’s ongoing effort to re-engage Iran?
Below, Atlantic Council experts react to the airstrike and how the president will approach military action in the Middle East.
Jump to an expert reaction:
Experts must not link US action with prospects of successful nuclear negotiations
“These US strikes were taken in response to an intentionally calibrated series of escalations by Tehran designed to test the new Biden administration. Tehran’s goals are to push the US out of the region, to increase its leverage for the coming negotiatio
Kazakhstan’s repatriation of foreign fighters and their families
Fri, Jan 8, 2021 9:00 AM
As one of the main sources of foreign fighters for the conflict in Syria and Iraq, Central Asia now faces the security and humanitarian challenge of repatriating foreign fighters and their families. What was behind Kazakhstan’s decision to repatriate its citizens, and what can other countries learn from Kazakhstan’s progress?
As one of the main sources of foreign fighters for the conflict in Syria and Iraq, Central Asia now faces the security and humanitarian challenge of repatriating foreign fighters and their families. Kazakhstan has emerged as a global leader in repatriation efforts for foreign fighters returning from Syria, having repatriated nearly 600 of its citizens, mostly women and children, through the “Zhusan” operation. Kazakhstan’s programs and tools for repatriation, rehabilitation, and reintegration may serve as a model for other nations. What was behind Kazakhstan
Yemen
The civil war in Yemen continues with no solution in sight. The Saudi-UAE led coalition versus the Houthis has shown signs of fracture, particularly in the secessionist southern region, and United Nations-mediated talks have achieved some small successes. The humanitarian crisis named by the United Nations as the most catastrophic humanitarian crisis in the world continues to spiral and a resolution to the conflict remains out of reach. On January 11, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that the United States is designating Yemen’s Houthi rebel group Ansar Allah as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). Atlantic Council experts react to the designation and what it means for the wider region.