Syria

Iran divides and disrupts in the Middle East, but it has a different playbook in Pakistan.

From turmoil in northeastern Syria to censorship in China, here are the stories that caught our readers’ attention this year.

Many of its militants are now in prison, but that doesn’t mean the battle is over. In 2020, conflict could rise anew.

From the State Department to the U.N. to Turkey, India, and Pakistan, Foreign Policy’s reporting helped make a difference.

Protesters in Iraq and Lebanon are rising up against Iranian influence, sectarianism, and corruption. The U.S. Congress should offer conditional aid that forces governments to respond to their citizens’ grievances.

Five essential reads on the Turkish invasion of northeastern Syria.

The Pentagon’s recently departed Middle East policy chief addresses the administration’s handling of Turkey’s Syria invasion and response to Iranian attacks.

Ankara claims it’s helping displaced Syrians return home. Kurds and international observers accuse Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government of demographic engineering.

Questions arise as to whether Erdogan’s $26 billion megaproject is intended to clear his border of Kurds.

The SDF’s Gen. Mazloum Abdi wants international observers to stop Turkish-backed forces from displacing the Kurds.

Continued reports of atrocities by Turkish-backed forces raise concerns about ethnic cleansing.

A host of forces including Turkish and Iranian proxies to Russian troops and Syrian government forces are jockeying for control of the lands that once were held by the Islamic State.

Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy slams the Trump administration for withholding aid to Lebanon.

Top general is confident he can keep pressure on the Islamic State, but a recent watchdog report says the group could reconstitute.

With echoes of shelling from Turkish-allied forces nearby, families sheltering in abandoned villages wonder when they can go home.

The threat from Tehran continues to increase despite U.S. military buildup, U.S. Central Command’s Gen. Kenneth McKenzie says.

Putin’s apparent victories in spreading Russian influence are mirages, some of which have come at a great cost.