Jackson Hannon

Research Assistant

Jackson Hannon received his bachelor’s degree in Middle Eastern Studies with an emphasis in Arabic, with a minor in Political Science, Economics, and a certificate in International Relations from the University of Utah. He recently spent time in Jordan studying Arabic. Jackson’s research interests include international security, Middle Eastern politics and history, and American multilateral and bilateral relations in the MENA region and Europe.

You can reach Jackson by email at jhannon [at] setadc [dot] org.

• What the National Defense Authorization Act Means for Turkey

  On August 13, President Trump signed the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (NDAA) into law. While the actual budget numbers are merely authorizations and not yet appropriations, ..Read more

• Turkey’s Elections 2018

  Summary [caption id="attachment_4600" align="alignright" width="195"] Download PDF[/caption] On June 24, 2018 Turkey will hold its first election under the new presidential system that was adopted a..Read more

• US-Turkey Relations under The AK Party

  This almanac provides the synopsis of bilateral relations between the US and Turkey during the past fifteen years of AK Party rule in Turkey, starting with the March 1st crisis. During this period, AK..Read more

• Decision to arm the YPG gambles with US-Turkish ties

  On Monday, May 8, US President Donald Trump approved a plan to arm the People’s Protection Units (YPG), the armed branch of the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), seen by many as the Syrian affil..Read more

• The Risks of the U.S.’ Balancing Act in Syria

  On January 28, newly inaugurated President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing Secretary of Defense James Mattis, in coordination with other national security and foreign policy principal..Read more

• Possible Pitfalls of Syrian Safe Zones

  During the first week of Trump’s presidency, a draft executive order directing the U.S. Department of Defense and State Department to explore and develop a strategy to create safe zones in and aroun..Read more

• Trump Inherits Syria Policy Amid Regional Expectations

  On January 20, President Trump took office facing a number of issues, both domestic and international. Syria, a thorny issue throughout the U.S. presidential campaign, will likely be one of the first ..Read more

• The U.S.-Turkey Agreement on the Future of Raqqa

  Over the weekend of November 4th, General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, met with his Turkish counterpart, General Hulusi Akar, in Ankara. Dunford stated after the meeting..Read more

• The Symbolic Victory in Dabiq

  Late August, Turkey launched Operation Euphrates Shield, supporting Free Syrian Army (FSA) forces in an effort to push back ISIS forces from the Syrian-Turkish border area. Beginning with the town of ..Read more

• Biden’s Visit Needs to Address Turkish Concerns Over the PYD

  On August 21, Reuters reported that the Free Syrian Army (FSA) groups were preparing for an assault against the ISIS-held town of Jarablus on the Turkey-Syria border. A day later, on August 22, the Tu..Read more