Continuity and Change: The Biden Administration’s Syria Policy
President Biden inherits a strategy from the Trump administration, which was largely a continuation of the Obama policy on Syria. Both Obama and Trump justified U.S. involvement in Syria on countering ISIS, and U.S. policy appears in need of a new framework in the post-ISIS era. In the past, some of the current Biden administration officials have criticized “deployment of troops in endless and unwinnable wars,” but also opposed “the rapid exit of U.S. troops from Syria” (as Trump pushed for). Others opposed US support to the Syrian rebels for “fueling the conflict rather than stopping it.” Given the protracted civil war and an elusive political process, what can the Biden administration realistically do that is different than its predecessor? How can the continuing presence of US troops on the ground be justified? What could a comprehensive Syria policy look like given the Biden administration’s policy? Can Biden work with allies on Syria in contrast to the apparent unilateralism of the Trump administration?
The SETA Foundation at Washington DC is pleased to host an expert panel discussion on the Biden administration’s Syria policy.
Speakers
Amb. Robert Ford (Ret.), Senior Fellow, Middle East Institute & Yale University Jackson Institute
Dima Moussa, Member of the Syrian National Coalition
Wael Alzayat, Senior Fellow, Middle East Institute
Moderator
Kadir Ustun, Executive Director, The SETA Foundation at Washington DC
