Section: Institute for the Study of War (USA)
Statement on ISW Methodology
Statement on ISW Methodology May 4, 2023 The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) welcomes robust and rigorous debate on the issues ISW covers and is especially grateful for the interaction with and feedback from those who engage seriously with the methodological challenges of performing intelligence from publicly available information....
ISIS Reasserts Global Reach for Ramadan 2019
Download the PDF Key Takeaway: ISIS has orchestrated an annual campaign of intensified attacks around the Islamic holy month of Ramadan since 2012, first in Iraq and then globally. It has sustained this recurring surge in its global operations every year despite its concurrent territorial losses in Iraq and Syria. ISIS’s latest Ramadan...
Turkey and Russia Prepared to Launch Joint Military Patrols in Syria’s Idlib
Download the PDF Key Takeaway: Growing Turkish-Russian military cooperation in Syria is a dangerous sign of a wider shift to a closer strategic relationship between Turkey and Russia. Russia gave Turkey permission to fly air sorties into Northern Syria as part of an agreement for joint military patrols along the frontlines in Greater Idlib...
Disposition of Adversary and Friendly Forces in Eastern Syria
Download the PDF Key Takeaway: U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent decision to keep a residual force of at least 400 troops in Syria prevents the immediate takeover of valuable natural resources and infrastructure in Eastern Syria by Iran, Assad, and Russia. These actors nonetheless still have options that could lead to the defeat or...
Syria Situation Report: February 18 – March 5, 2019
Download the PDF The following graphic marks the latest installment of the Syria Situation Report (SITREP) Map made possible through a partnership between the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) and Syria Direct. The map depicts significant developments in the war in Syria during the period February 18 – March 5, 2019. View the enlarged...
ISIS Re-Establishes Historical Sanctuary in Iraq
Download the PDF ISIS’s post-Caliphate insurgency in Iraq is accelerating faster than efforts to prevent it by the U.S. Anti-ISIS Coalition. ISIS is re-establishing capable insurgent networks in multiple historical strongholds and linking them together, setting the conditions for future offensive operations against the Government of Iraq....
Russia’s Influence Grows After Moldovan Elections
The Kremlin is successfully increasing its political influence in Moldova. The pro-Kremlin Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova (PRSM) won the largest share in the February 24 Moldovan Parliamentary Elections. However, Moldova will likely be forced to call new elections within the next forty-five days due to continued deadlock in...
The U.S. Must Take Swift Action to Stop Russia’s Aggression
By: Frederick W. Kagan and Catherine Harris Originally published in The Hill. Vladimir Putin is distracting Western leaders from the real threat Russia poses through ostentatious displays of nuclear and conventional military power. He makes bombastic announcements of nuclear weapons technology and exercises of mechanized forces to intimidate us...
ISW Daily Update March 29, 2017
These are the major events from March 29, 2017 in the theaters and from the trans-national groups that ISW monitors: Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Egypt, Russia, Ukraine, and ISIS. SYRIA: Turkey is posturing to gain American support to consolidate its safe zone in northern Syria. Turkey announced the “successful” end of Operations...
March 02, 2017
These are the major events from March 02, 2017 in the theaters and from the trans-national groups that ISW monitors: Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Egypt, Russia, Ukraine, and ISIS. SYRIA: The Syrian regime, Russia, and Iran are re-consolidating control over eastern Homs Province in order to buffer core regime-held terrain in western Syria. Pro-regime...
