WATCH: Brookings experts on Syria’s civil war, and what’s next for US policy

The civil war in Syria started in March 2011 and continues over seven years later. The conflict involves not only the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad, but also Syrian opposition fighters, Turkey, Kurdish elements, Iran and its proxy Hezbollah, Israel, Russia, the United States, remnants of the so-called Islamic State, and other countries that are harboring refugees from the fighting. In a recent public event, Brookings experts examined the facets of the ongoing conflict and offered ideas for the way ahead. Below are highlights from the event. Full event audio, video, and a transcript are available here.

 

Michael O’Hanlon, senior fellow in the Center for 21st Century Security and Intelligence and director of research for Foreign Policy, moderated the panel and explained the current situation in Syria. He noted that seven years of fighting have left over half a million dead, and 12 million—nearly half the pre-war population—displaced from their homes, with 5 million refugees in nearby countries and in Europe. Syrian President Assad controls about one-third of the territory, with 75 percent of the populated areas. Kurds control 20 percent of territory in the north, with a few million inhabitants. He called attention to other pockets of conflict, including Eastern Ghouta near Syria’s capital Damascus; Afrin in the north where Turkey is fighting Kurds; around Idlib where opposition groups continue to operate; and near the Israeli border in the southwest of the country [for more, see Institute for the Study of War situation map].“What this adds up to,” O’Hanlon concluded, is that:

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