Russian Intervention in Syria

On October 29, 2018, the Center held an event to discuss Russian intervention in Syria. The panelists were Paul J. Saunders, Executive Director at the Center; Michael Kofman, Senior Research Scientist at CNA and a Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Center’s Kennan Institute; and Colonel (ret) Robert Hamilton, an Associate Professor of Eurasian Studies at the U.S. Army War College and a Black Sea Fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute. The panel assessed key issues including Russian strategy and objectives in Syria; Russia’s military capabilities, performance, and options; and prospects for U.S. – Russia cooperation and competition. As the first director of the U.S. Ground De-Confliction Cell with Russian forces in Syria in 2017, Col Hamilton provided a unique, firsthand perspective on the intersection between US, Russian and local forces in Syria. Gil Barndollar, the Center’s Director of Middle East Studies, moderated the discussion.  A recap of this event appeared in The National Interest. To read it click here.