Publication

This report analyzes the military situation in southern Syria, highlighting the broader trends in the conflict and the position of the main actors in the region. More specifically, the authors address the implications and possible policy consequences of key challenges facing President al-Assad's regime and its backers, including 1) Damascus' diminishing capacity to maintain control of territory; and 2) Hizbollah’s and Iran’s expanding role in the region. They also examine some of the key issues in Western policy debates about Syria, including 1) that opposition forces are dominated by extremists; 2) the decline in the regime's military capacity; and 3) what role the US should have in dealing with the conflict. Finally, they suggest what the US could do to improve living conditions in southern Syria, help undermine the power of Salafi-jihadi groups and raise the prospects for a negotiated end to the war.