Author: Xiaodon L. Liang

By Nils Hagerdal

The recent assassination of the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Iranian Major General Qassem Soleimani, by a U.S. drone attack further increased tensions between the United States and Iran. Political conflicts between the two countries go back to the 1979 Iranian revolution, and despite periods of détente have never quite receded.

President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw America’s military forces from northeastern Syria and redeploy some of them into Iraq has attracted widespread condemnation. The Economist described his decision as a betrayal to the Kurds that will “blow America’s credibility and will take years to mend.” Yet as straightforward as this claim may seem, the framing of Trump’s decision as a betrayal does not allow for a balanced assessment and realistic interpretation of its motivation. The fact of the matter is the United States has made analogous military withdrawals in comparaable circumstances before when it intervened in areas peripheral to its national interests, such as Syria. In such circumstances, America’s intervention does not serve a clear vital interest and less costly policy options might exist that could still protect America’s peripheral interests without risking long-term attachment to a specific area.

Jon Caverley, associate professor at the U.S. Naval War College, presented a draft manuscript of his next book on November

By Thomas Cavanna This review was first published in the U.S. Air University’s Strategic Studies Quarterly (SSQ). It is republished

By Nils Hägerdal Political instability and armed conflicts in the Middle East pose a fundamental challenge to state institutions and

Thomas Cavanna, visiting assistant professor at The Fletcher School, presented a paper on China’s Belt and Road Initiative and its