If Trump Wants to Fight Iran, He’ll Soon Get the Chance in Syria
- Forces backed by U.S., Iran in race to take Islamic State land
- ‘This is the most complicated battlespace anyone’s ever known’
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, assisted by Russia and Iran, saw his forces retake Aleppo in the biggest victory against rebels in almost six years of civil war. The Syrian civil war started in 2011 on the heels of the Arab Spring. It has seen the creation of the Islamic State, half of the country's residence displaced from their homes, and outside forces getting involved. This QuickTake on the state of Syria looks at how the war unfolded, the players involved, and where the conflict is headed. (Video Updated Dec. 20 2016) (Source: Bloomberg)
Islamic State’s self-declared caliphate in eastern Syria is surrounded by some of the world’s strongest military powers. Their forces are advancing on several fronts. The battlefield odds aren’t even close.
That’s why the commanders of those armies -- in Washington, Moscow and Tehran, as well as Damascus and Ankara -- are looking beyond the coming showdown with the jihadists. When they’re killed or driven out, who’ll take over? It’s an especially sharp dilemma for President Donald Trump. Because for the second time this century, the U.S. risks defeating one Middle Eastern enemy only to see another one, Iran, emerge as the big winner.