Podcasts by Overwatch
Overwatch, an Institute for the Study of War podcast, goes beyond the news headlines to give listeners analysis and commentary on issues related to U.S. national security and American foreign policy. The episodes feature discussions with experts and practitioners to explore what challenges and opportunities lie ahead for the U.S.
Further podcasts by Institute for the Study of War
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Can Russia Rebuild Its Military? An Examination of the Russian Military's Wartime Reform Plans from 2023-02-28T17:17
Russian leaders have set forth a plan to significantly expand the Russian military in the coming years. This ambitious plan involves the creation of numerous new units and mili...
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One Year of War Part 3: How Western Weaponry Has Affected Russia's Invasion of Ukraine from 2023-02-23T16:36
Russia Team Lead Mason Clark and Russia Analyst and Geospatial Team Lead George Barros discuss the effects of HIMARS and other advanced Western weapons deliveries ...
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One Year of War Part 2: Russia's Military and Occupation Struggles from 2023-02-22T15:05
Russia Team Lead Mason Clark and Russia Analyst Karolina Hird discuss the Russian military's struggles on the battlefield and the challenges faced by Russian occup...
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One Year of War Part 1: The Strife between Russia's Mercenaries, Milbloggers, and Military from 2023-02-16T20:13
Russia Team Lead Mason Clark and Russia Analyst Kateryna Stepanenko discuss the influence of milbloggers on the domestic Russian information space, the role of the...
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E69: Iran Challenges Turkey’s Growing Influence in Iraq from 2022-06-28T11:00:11
Iran is directing a proxy military campaign to contain Turkey’s growing economic, political, and security influence in Iraq. Iranian leaders consider Turkey’s expanding reach to be a threat to I...
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E68: ISW Analysts Discuss Iraq’s Security and Stability from 2022-06-24T20:23:39
This episode of Overwatch is a recorded discussion between ISW analysts reflecting on a paper ISW published in June 2021 entitled Iraq 2021-2022: A Forecast. The discussion will cover what we go...
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E67: Iranian Missile Strike Demonstrates Growing Threat to US Forces in Iraq from 2022-04-04T17:18:18
A recent Iranian missile attack into Iraqi Kurdistan indicates the growing threat Tehran poses to the United States and its partners in the Middle East. The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (I...
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E66: New Moderate Political Bloc in Iran May Complicate Supreme Leader’s Succession from 2022-02-25T23:06:01
A new political bloc is forming in Iran, comprised primarily of relative moderates and reformists seeking to reassert their political influence in the regime. This bloc includes prominent Irania...
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E65: Russia's Options on Ukraine Remain Varied and Flexible from 2022-02-04T21:16:24
Russia continues to increase its military forces poised on Ukraine's border. The situation is tense, deadly, and complicated. On this episode, ISW Russia Team Lead Mason Clark explains the current ...
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E64: Iran’s Proxies to Fight to Maintain Influence in Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon in 2022 from 2022-01-12T16:51:12
Iran-backed proxy militant networks played massive roles in Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon in 2021. On this episode of Overwatch, ISW Research Director Matt McInnis sits down with ISW Researchers Kat ...
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E63: Russia Faces Rising Stakes at Home and Abroad in 2022 from 2022-01-07T19:01:05
Over the past year, ISW’s Russia team has closely tracked Russia’s efforts to integrate Belarus, its growing threats to Ukraine’s independence, and a range of other malign activities elsewhere i...
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E62: Taliban Face Massive Governing Challenges in 2022 as Poverty and Rival Militants Surge from 2022-01-05T22:01:55
The Taliban’s takeover of the Afghan government in 2021 brought the biggest shift in that country since the US invasion 20 years ago. On this episode of Overwatch, ISW Research Director Matt McI...
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E61: Turkey Faces Growing Political, Military, and Economic Challenges in 2022 from 2022-01-04T19:01:50
A tumultuous 2021 shows no signs of letting up for Turkey. Caught between the competing interests of Russia, the US, and the EU while being led by a man who believes Turkey ought to assert itsel...
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E60: Islamic State Khorasan Province Threatens Stability of Taliban-Controlled Afghanistan and the Region from 2021-12-06T15:13:31
The Taliban takeover of Afghanistan has started a new phase in the war against the Islamic State. Islamic State Khorasan Province (IS-KP) is the local Afghan branch of Islamic State, which fough...
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E59: Belarusian President Escalates Ongoing Migrant Crisis on Polish Border to Undermine the European Union from 2021-11-18T16:29:16
Thousands of migrants from the Middle East have become stranded on the border between Belarus and Poland, creating a dangerous stand-off between the two countries. With the European Union behind...
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E58: Turkish Troop Movements on Syrian Border Indicate Possible Incursion against US Partner Forces from 2021-11-03T18:19:45
Turkish President Erdogan may launch a new incursion into Syria that could target the Syrian Defense Forces, the US partner in the counter-ISIS fight. Turkish troops assembled in border areas ne...
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E57: Soviet-era Iran Planning Holds Lessons for Modern US Middle East Strategy from 2021-10-26T16:09:06
The Defense Department recently declassified a briefing Dr. David Crist prepared in 2020 on US war planning in the Middle East against the Soviet Union from 1979 to 1987. On this episode of Ove...
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E56: 20 Years after 9/11: US Counterterrorism has Seen Successes, but Major Groups Remain Undefeated from 2021-09-10T15:25:37
We’re nearing the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the start of the war in Afghanistan. Following the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, the Taliban have seized control ...
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E55: New Technology, Deadlier Weapons, and Disinformation Campaigns: How Russia Sees the Future of Warfare from 2021-07-14T18:52:54
Russian leaders have a very specific vision for the future of warfare, one that US leaders need to understand if they are to effectively counter Russian strategy and technology. This is the seco...
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E54: The Russian Concept of Hybrid War and Why it Matters for US Policy from 2021-06-24T17:25:03
Russian leaders and policymakers use the term “hybrid war” to refer to a very specific type of conflict, while their counterparts in the West tend to use that same term in a general sense to ref...
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E53: What Happens When Iran’s Supreme Leader Dies? from 2021-04-15T13:39:56
E52: ISIS Activity Surges in Major Syrian Displacement Camp from 2021-04-09T21:02:35
E51: The Dangers of Disengagement: Gen. David H. Petraeus on Withdrawing US Troops from Afghanistan from 2021-03-16T14:57:39
E50: What Does Iran's Presidential Election Mean for Biden's Policy? from 2021-02-02T17:47:56
E49: Russia’s Putin Exploits War, Crisis, and Disease to Expand his Power in 2020 from 2021-01-27T20:15:31
Vladimir Putin enjoyed a successful 2020 despite a slate of setbacks to his agenda. New constitutional amendments will allow him to rule the Russian state for life. Putin manipulated the crisis ...
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E48: What Will Biden Do on Iran? from 2021-01-25T18:39:08
E47: Violent Crisis in Ethiopia Threatens East African Regional Stability from 2020-12-28T16:08:23
A civil war between Ethiopia’s central government and one of its regional states threatens security across East Africa. Ethiopia is Africa’s second-most populous country and a US security partne...
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E46: A People’s War: COVID-19 Response Reveals China’s Military Mobilization Strategy from 2020-12-20T02:24:05
The COVID-19 pandemic is changing the global order and reshaping the balance of power on the w...
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E45: H.R. McMaster on American Strategy during a Presidential Transition from 2020-12-07T15:26:34
The United States holds enormous power and responsibility in the world. With the US presidential transition underway, ISW President Kim Kagan sat down with Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster (US Army, ret.)...
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E44: Kremlin Intensifies War in Donbas to Undermine Ukrainian Government in Elections from 2020-11-16T17:20:49
The recent local elections in Ukraine were an important political battleground in Putin’s contest to restore Kremlin-friendly rule and annex territory in that country, the objective behind his 2...
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E43: Kremlin Exploits Crisis to Secure Greater Russian Control of Belarus from 2020-10-31T22:21:03
Russian President Vladimir Putin has a longstanding objective to integrate Belarus into Russian-controlled structures. The Kremlin is undermining the Belarusian president's attempts to calm prot...
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E42: Vicious Cycles in the Middle East and Africa Continue to Threaten US National Security Despite Efforts to Withdraw from 2020-10-11T04:31:14
The US is routinely confronted with crises that worsen and expand in scope over time. Modern technology and global interconnectedness have made these self-reinforcing crises increasingly common ...
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E41: Iraq's "October Revolution" Protests Resume as a Tense Country Looks On from 2020-10-02T21:15:23
Mass anti-government protests erupted in Iraq in October 2019. The protests led to the resignation of the government in what became known as the "October Revolution," but not before crackdowns b...
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E40: Putin’s Offset: The Power of Perception from 2020-09-24T17:40:28
Russian President Vladimir Putin plays a weak hand well. His center of gravity is increasingly his ability to shape others’ perception and create the image of a powerful Russia based on limited ...
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E39: US Presence in Syria Remains a Critical Component in the Fight against ISIS from 2020-09-19T22:10:52
The United States retains a small but highly effective force in Syria. This force has a clear mission: defeat ISIS and prevent the resurgence of extremist groups in eastern Syria. However, poor ...
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E38: General Jack Keane (US Army, Retired) Reflects on the 9/11 Attacks and the Ongoing War on Terror from 2020-09-13T14:11:14
E37: Local Unrest Threatens to Undermine Primary US Partner Force in Northeast Syria from 2020-09-06T02:28:25
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the local US partner force in northeast Syria, is facing intense pressure from ISIS, the Syrian Regime, and Turkey. The SDF’s already-fraught relations with l...
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E36: Russia Threatens to Turn Belarus Unrest into Major International Crisis from 2020-08-28T22:32:03
Belarus has been in a state of civil unrest for several weeks. As popular protests came to pose a genuine threat to President Lukashenko's regime, Russia became involved to protect its interests...
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E35: Trump Says US Forces Are Leaving Iraq Soon, Undermining Visiting Iraqi Prime Minister from 2020-08-21T18:42:43
E34: ISIS Escalates Violence in Turkish-held Parts of Northwest Syria from 2020-08-14T20:14:44
E33: The Kremlin and Kyiv Agree to New Ceasefire in Ukraine from 2020-08-07T17:41:24
E32: Al Qaeda Infighting in Syria Tests Loyalty of Foreign Fighters from 2020-08-03T18:02:42
Al Qaeda-linked groups Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and Hurras al Din clashed in late June and early July and remain at odds as defections prompted by the former’s increasingly pro-Turkish posture...
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E31: Brawl between Islamic State and Al Qaeda in Africa May Strengthen Salafi-Jihadi Movement from 2020-07-24T16:50:58
E30: Putin Rigs Constitutional Amendment to Extend His Presidency beyond 2024 from 2020-07-17T20:23:41
E29: US Launches New Round of Sanctions Targeting Syrian Regime from 2020-07-09T21:51:44
E28: Pandemic Presents New Challenges and Opportunities for US National Security from 2020-07-04T14:51:15
The global health crisis caused by COVID-19 has affected nearly every aspect of American society and government. The pandemic has forced changes to individual lifestyles as well as the highest l...
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E27: US Ally Egypt Threatens Military Move into Libya against NATO Member Turkey from 2020-06-24T17:26:59
E26: Future of US Troop Presence and Iraqi Security Uncertain as Strategic Dialogue Begins from 2020-06-19T18:34:51
E25: The Role of the Military in Civilian Unrest: Lessons from Iraq from 2020-06-17T21:11:17
E24: Assad’s Economic Desperation Causes Cracks in Syrian Regime from 2020-06-12T19:09:31
E23: Kremlin Uses COVID-19 Misinformation to Bolster Image, Undermine Adversaries, and Seek Sanctions Relief from 2020-06-04T20:57:57
Kremlin-affiliated networks are falsely accusing the United States of engineering the coronavirus responsible for the ongoing pandemic. This narrative is one of several interlocking disinformati...
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E22: Iraq’s New Prime Minister Prepares for Strategic Talks with US from 2020-05-29T13:41:49
New Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi has strengthened his position and achieved a handful of successes in the first few weeks of his tenure. However, Kadhimi will face enormous challenges...
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E21: Iran Remains Committed to Syria Despite Ongoing Pandemic and Economic Collapse from 2020-05-21T20:03:20
E20: The Kremlin Suffers Setbacks in the Balkans from 2020-05-15T17:44:41
E19: Pandemic Enables Spread of Salafi Jihadism in Africa from 2020-05-07T20:30:50
E18: Pressures and Opportunities Arise for Putin as Oil and COVID Crises Converge from 2020-04-27T19:44:29
The Kremlin is using the COVID pandemic to advance a range of goals. Russia is leveraging UN calls for limited relaxations of certain economic sanctions to paint the US as anti-humanitarian. Mea...
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E17: Walk Away from the Taliban, Not Afghanistan from 2020-04-24T15:17:24
E16: Ukraine Considers Talks with Putin’s Proxies from 2020-03-31T20:23:04
Russian President Vladi...
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E15: Russia and Turkey Fail to Implement Ceasefire Deal in Idlib from 2020-03-27T20:44:48
E14: Russia's Viral Disinformation in Ukraine from 2020-03-16T16:56:16
Likely Russian actors launched a disinformation campaign against Ukraine exploiting COVID-19 fears related to the Ukrainian government’s ev...
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E13: Governing After ISIS: What’s Next for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) from 2020-02-28T19:35:59
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), America’s local partner in northeastern Syria, was instrumental in the fight against ISIS and is working to fill the vacuum it left behind. In this episode of...
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E12: Iran’s Reserve of Last Resort: Uncovering the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Order of Battle from 2020-02-10T19:28:48
Qassem Soleimani’s death and the prospect of further US-Iranian military escalation raise the question of Iran’s military capacity. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) Ground Forces ar...
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Putin Begins New Phase in Campaign to Retain Power from 2020-01-30T21:51:14
Vladimir Putin's current term as Russia's President expires in 2024. Over the past two weeks, Putin reshuffled Russia's government, proposed a set of major changes to the Russian constitution, a...
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Insights on Iraqi Fragility from the Ground from 2020-01-24T22:05:57
Last month, ISW Director of Tradecraft and Innovation, Colonel (Ret.) Ketti Davison, traveled to Iraq with a team of experts organized by the UNHCR. She got a first-hand look at some of the secu...
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The Kremlin’s Expanding Media Conglomerate from 2020-01-17T20:04:36
The Kremlin is trying to pull countries around the world into its information space. Kremlin-linked media outlets signed more than 50 cooperation agreements with counterparts around the world in...
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E8: Russia Year in Review from 2019-12-22T01:07:28
Russian President Vladimir Putin is about to enter his third decade in power. As we enter 2020, how Putin sees his own position on the global map reveals a lot about what the United S...
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E7: Can the U.S. Pull Back from the Middle East Without Risking Its Security? from 2019-12-06T21:56:43
The U.S. national security community's growing focus on China and Russia is raising questions about the future of America's role in the Middle East region. Can the U.S. pull back from the broade...
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E6: Russia's Dead-End Diplomacy in Syria from 2019-11-21T17:41:27
On this episode, ISW Research Director Jennifer Cafarella discusses her new report “Russia's Dead-End Diplomacy in Syria in a Q&A exchange with Maseh Zarif. Jennifer describes Russia's attempt t...
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Crisis Brief: Outcome of Trump-Erdogan Meeting Amidst Continued Fighting in Syria from 2019-11-14T23:31:42
U.S. President Donald Trump met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to discuss Turkey's ongoing offensive in Northeastern Syria on November 13th. The meeting occurred as fighting continu...
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Crisis Brief: The Emerging Violent Cycle of Iraqi Protests from 2019-11-13T22:41:15
The second round of Iraqi protests is entering its third week. ISW's Director of Innovation and Tradecraft Ketti Davison recaps how we got here and discusses the possibility for prolonged instab...
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Crisis Brief: Iraqi Protests Grow After Iran Intervenes to Prevent the Prime Minister's Ouster from 2019-11-08T01:01:26
Protests in Iraq have continued to grow after resuming on October 25th. Iranian proxy leader Hadi al Ameri reversed his position on the ousting of the Iraqi prime minister under the direction of...
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Crisis Brief: Russo-Turkish Agreement in Eastern Syria Breaks Down as US Forces Return from 2019-11-01T04:45:08
The deadline to implement the first phase of the Russo-Turkish deal for northeast Syria ...
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E5: General (Ret.) David Petraeus Decodes Dynamics in the Middle East from 2019-10-31T20:23:48
Evolving conflicts and unrest are reshaping the Middle East rapidly. The U.S. will continue to have key national interests at stake in this region even as challenges outside it demand greater Am...
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Crisis Brief: The Ouster of Iraq’s Prime Minister Looks Imminent from 2019-10-29T23:57:37
Rumors of an imminent resignation of the Iraqi prime minister emerged after nationalist Shi’a cleric Muqtada al Sadr made a dramatic return to Iraq and joined escalating protests in Najaf. He an...
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Crisis Brief: Mass Protests Resume in Iraq from 2019-10-25T21:51:05
Mass protests resumed in Baghdad and across the Shi’a - majority provinces in southern Iraq despite the Iraqi government’s attempts to de-escalate through concessions and limited reforms. Prote...
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Crisis Brief: Significance of the Turkey-Russia Meeting on Syria from 2019-10-23T04:57:09
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin met to coordinate military movements in Northern Syria. The two presidents reached an initial agreement intended to pu...
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Crisis Brief: A New Phase of Unrest in Iraq? from 2019-10-22T01:47:09
Iraq’s government has not addressed the conditions that prompted street protests in early October 2019. Baghdad will also struggle to hold accountable the forces that engaged in a violent crackd...
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Crisis Brief: Russia Exploits U.S. Withdrawal from Syria from 2019-10-17T02:49:48
The U.S. military withdrawal from Syria and subsequent Turkish advances are creating a new opening for Russia and its partners. Russian forces have taken over areas vacated by the U.S. as the Kr...
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Crisis Brief: Continued Chaos as the Turkish Offensive Advances into Syria from 2019-10-16T02:03:50
The situation on the ground is rapidly evolving as the Turkish offensive advances into Syria. ISIS is taking advantage of the conditions of chaos to resurge and threaten to reverse progress made...
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E4: Are U.S. Partnerships Around the World in Jeopardy? from 2019-10-15T01:21:30
Maseh Zarif and ISW Director of Innovation and Tradecraft Colonel Ketti Davison (U.S. Army, Retired) discuss regional destabilization in the Middle East in the wake of the crises in Iraq and Syr...
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E3: LTG. Nagata (Ret.) Explains the Consequences of the U.S. Withdrawal from Syria from 2019-10-14T11:48:27
American forces in Northern Syria have begun a “deliberate withdrawal” as Turkish-backed forces continue to deepen their invasion of areas held by the U.S. partner force, the Kurdish-led Syrian ...
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Crisis Brief: Turkey Kicks Off Operation in Syria from 2019-10-09T23:13:15
Turkey has initiated a military operation into a part of Northern Syria controlled by Syrian Kurdish-led forces. The operation follows a U.S. decision to withdraw from the immediate area control...
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Crisis Brief: The Risk of an Iranian Military Response in Iraq from 2019-10-09T01:42:22
Iran signaled it may send Iranian security forces to Iraq, ostensibly to secure the upcoming Arbae’en pilgrimage. But Iran may a... ListenCrisis Brief: Iran's Coup By Proxy from 2019-10-08T00:47:32
The Iraqi prime minister’s concessions to protesters reflects one aspect of the ongoing crisis, but it is only part of the story unfolding. There remains a fie...
ListenCrisis Brief: Imminent Turkish Invasion of Northeastern Syria from 2019-10-07T20:14:53
Turkey is about to invade Northeastern Syria with U.S. permission despite previous American security guarantees to the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The U.S. has not yet announced a full withd...
ListenCrisis Brief: How We Got Here from 2019-10-04T03:27:34
This update addresses the political dynamics that have lead to recent mass protests against the Iraqi government. ISW's Research Director Jennifer Cafarella zooms out to discuss how key actors, ...
ListenCrisis Brief: Baghdad Protests Morning Update from 2019-10-03T16:49:39
Iraqi protesters have defied a government curfew in Baghdad, triggering renewed clashes with security forces. The death toll is now at 19 with hundreds wounded. The internet remains severed as t...
ListenCrisis Brief: Baghdad Protests Morning Update from 2019-10-03T16:49:39
Iraqi protesters have defied a government curfew in Baghdad, triggering renewed clashes with security forces. The death toll is now at 19 with hundreds wounded. The internet remains severed as t...
ListenE2: Russia's Campaign in Africa from 2019-09-26T14:17:18
In this episode of Overwatch, Maseh Zarif talks with his ISW colleagues Nataliya Bugayova and Darina Regio about what Russia is up to in Africa. They discuss Russia’s coordinated campai...
ListenE1: ISIS's Second Comeback from 2019-09-09T17:39:33
In this episode of Overwatch Maseh Zarif sits down with ISW's Research Director, Jennifer Cafarella, to discuss her report ISIS's Second Comeback: Assessing the Next Insurgency...
ListenE1: ISIS's Second Comeback from 2019-09-09T17:39:33
In this episode of Overwatch Maseh Zarif sits down with ISW's Research Director, Jennifer Cafarella, to discuss her report ISIS's Second Comeback: Assessing the Next Insurgency...
ListenOverwatch Trailer from 2019-09-09T17:18:52
Overwatch goes beyond the news headlines to give listeners analysis and commentary on issues related to U.S. national security and American foreign policy. The episodes feature discussi...
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