APRIL 2018
CSIS BRIEFS
Two Eastern Mediterranean countries—Syria and Turkey—present some of the most vexing problems for U.S. foreign policy today.
The Syrian civil war has become a magnet for both terrorists and U.S. adversaries. Turkey, a NATO ally, is facing terrorism and a
refugee crisis. Domestically, it is increasingly turning away from democratic principles and making choices that are at odds with
the United States. The United States needs to take a new strategic approach to the Eastern Mediterranean, outlined in a CSIS report
forthcoming in May 2018. An urgent part of that strategy, outlined here, is recalibrating U.S. policy toward Syria and Turkey.
US. strategy in the Eastern Mediterranean is long overdue for revision. Today’s strategy was conceived 70 years ago, when the
Soviet Union loomed large, terrorism was not an overriding concern, and the post–World War II order was American driven.
But in 2018, a seven-year war in Syria has created safe havens for jihadi-salafists, triggered the largest refugee crisis since World War II,
and eroded state cohesion and control. At the same time, Turkey, Russia, China, and
Iran are seeking larger footholds in the region that will undermine the arrangements that have secured the United
States and its allies. U.S. interests in the region continue to be great, but the region is changing in ways that harm those
interests, and U.S. influence is diminishing. It is time for the United States to create a new strategy
for the Eastern Mediterranean that builds on common transatlantic interests, ensures European unity and security,
provides greater stability in the Middle East, and safeguards state capacity against a myriad of strengthening nonstate
actors. This strategy hinges on two propositions.
to read full article please click on
/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/EASTERN%20MED%20.pdf
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APRIL 2018
CSIS BRIEFS
Two Eastern Mediterranean countries—Syria and Turkey—present some of the most vexing problems for U.S. foreign policy today.
The Syrian civil war has become a magnet for both terrorists and U.S. adversaries. Turkey, a NATO ally, is facing terrorism and a
refugee crisis. Domestically, it is increasingly turning away from democratic principles and making choices that are at odds with
the United States. The United States needs to take a new strategic approach to the Eastern Mediterranean, outlined in a CSIS report
forthcoming in May 2018. An urgent part of that strategy, outlined here, is recalibrating U.S. policy toward Syria and Turkey.
US. strategy in the Eastern Mediterranean is long overdue for revision. Today’s strategy was conceived 70 years ago, when the
Soviet Union loomed large, terrorism was not an overriding concern, and the post–World War II order was American driven.
But in 2018, a seven-year war in Syria has created safe havens for jihadi-salafists, triggered the largest refugee crisis since World War II,
and eroded state cohesion and control. At the same time, Turkey, Russia, China, and
Iran are seeking larger footholds in the region that will undermine the arrangements that have secured the United
States and its allies. U.S. interests in the region continue to be great, but the region is changing in ways that harm those
interests, and U.S. influence is diminishing. It is time for the United States to create a new strategy
for the Eastern Mediterranean that builds on common transatlantic interests, ensures European unity and security,
provides greater stability in the Middle East, and safeguards state capacity against a myriad of strengthening nonstate
actors. This strategy hinges on two propositions.
to read full article please click on
/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/EASTERN%20MED%20.pdf
^
