Devorah Margolin

From SNAFU to FUBAR in Northeast Syria Some 20,000 Islamic State-affiliated individuals are now unaccounted for, and no one has a plan for what to do about this mix of committed radicals, at-risk victims, and other escapees.

More than 20,000 IS-affiliated individuals are unaccounted for, and no one has a plan for what to do about this mix of committed radicals, at-risk victims, and other escapees, write @devorahmargolin.bsky.social and Joana Cook in @foreignpolicy.com.

Caught in the Crossfire: Islamic State Detention Sites at Risk With rival forces openly warring in northeast Syria, the long-deferred challenges of identifying, securing, and repatriating IS detainees have come to a head, forcing Washington to prioritize several ...

New Publication: Caught in the Crossfire: Islamic State Detention Sites at Risk
www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analy...

These reports are a CRUTIAL part of the reporting process on the state of the counter-ISIS mission. Hopefully this delay in reporting will be remedied shortly!

For those that follow the D-ISIS mission, the quarterly Lead Inspector General reports to Congress for Operation Inherent Resolve are vital. In 2025, no report was released for the third quarter. In the past, the latest a Q3 report was released was Nov 19 (and that was in 2019).

The New Syria, Year Two: Rebuilding Institutions and Governance Join us for an expert conversation examining the state of play in Syria one year after the fall of the Assad regime in 2024. Watch a live webcast of this event starting at 12:00 noon EST (1700 GMT) on...

📺Must-watch webcast on Thursday, December 4 at 12pm ET as Amb. James Jeffrey and @azelin.bsky.social examine the state of play in Syria one year after the fall of the Assad regime. @devorahmargolin.bsky.social will moderate the event.

Syrian Citizenship for Foreign Fighters? U.S. Red Lines and Nuances Any proposal for granting citizenship to such fighters must be careful, clear, and firm in how it addresses various complexities, including international concerns about external security threats, Syri...

Should Syria grant citizenship to foreign fighters? For @washinstitute.bsky.social I discuss how any proposal for granting citizenship must addresses complexities (external security threats, Syria’s stability, & the post-Assad accountability process). www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analy...

Hope for al-Hol? The Syria Breakdown, Episode Six Does Syria's transition away from Assad regime tyranny offer hope for closing detention camps, which have been home to thousands of internally displaced persons and Islamic State supporters?

Syria today is drastically different than it has been in the past.
In a video published in March, @devorahmargolin.bsky.social explains the dangers and opportunities in breaking down the detention camps like al-Hol and returning detainees to their homes. Transcript is now available:

Syrian Citizenship for Foreign Fighters? U.S. Red Lines and Nuances Any proposal for granting citizenship to such fighters must be careful, clear, and firm in how it addresses various complexities, including international concerns about external security threats, Syri...

Foreign fighters who remain in Syria can be categorized in three large groups. Any proposal for granting citizenship to such fighters must be crystal clear on the red lines and plans for this process, writes @devorahmargolin.bsky.social.

Repatriation of Unaccompanied U.S. Citizen Minor from Northeast Syria   - United States Department of State Last week the United States repatriated a U.S. citizen minor from a displaced persons camp in northeast Syria for unification with the child’s family.  We thank the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U....

NEW: The first US repatriation from NE Syria since May 2024 (now the US has repatriated 52 citizens since 2019) www.state.gov/releases/off...

Anti-ISIS Mission: Combined Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve transfers command to Brig. Gen. Kevin J. Lambert www.inherentresolve.mil/NEWSROOM/New...

US envoy urges Syria's Sharaa to revise policy or risk fragmentation A U.S. envoy has urged Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa to recalibrate his policies and embrace a more inclusive approach after a new round of sectarian bloodshed last week, or risk losing international support and fragmenting the country.

Reuters: "US envoy urges Syria's Sharaa to revise policy or risk fragmentation" www.reuters.com/world/middle...

Montreal woman who joined ISIS as a teen convicted of aiding a terrorist group | CBC News Oumaima Chouay, who fled her home in Montreal nearly a decade ago to join ISIS in Syria, is the first person in Canada convicted for providing family support to a terrorist entity as a spouse.

"Montreal woman who joined ISIS as a teen convicted of aiding a terrorist group" www.cbc.ca/news/politic...

Hamas at a Crossroads – The Jerusalem Strategic Tribune Essays – Today’s Hamas is a very different organization from the one we knew from its formal establishment in December 1987 through its surprise attack on Israel

Hamas at a Crossroads by Ehud Yaari
jstribune.com/yaari-hamas-...

Senate Approves Trump’s Bid to Cancel Foreign Aid and Public Broadcast Funds

Conceding America's soft power, this is going to have devastating consequences - NYT: "Senate Approves Trump’s Bid to Cancel Foreign Aid and Public Broadcast Funds" www.nytimes.com/2025/07/17/u...

Strengthening U.S.-Türkiye Relations and Advancing Relations with Syria - United States Department of State Downloadable video and photos of this briefing for use in reporting can be found here:  Video- https://vimeo.com/1100727185  Photos- https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjCmey2  NEW YORK FOREIGN PRESS CENTER, 799 UN...

Barrack “So there’s a big sentiment that because [SDF] were our partners, we owe them. The question is what do we owe them. We don’t owe them the ability to have their own independent government within a government.” www.state.gov/briefings-fo...

Iraq signs reintegration pact for returnees from Syria - Shafaq News Shafaq News – Baghdad On Friday, Iraq’s Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) and the Ministry of Migration and Displacement signed a cooperation agreement to coordinate the rehabilitation and reintegrat

Important as US funding for these programs winds down: "Iraq’s Counter-Terrorism Service and the Ministry of Migration and Displacement signed a cooperation agreement to coordinate the rehabilitation and reintegration of citizens returning from displacement camps in Syria" shafaq.com/en/Security/...

Pursuing Israel-Syria Detente Post-Assad Join us for an expert conversation examining the prospects of cooperation between Israel and the new Syrian government. Watch live starting at 3:00 p.m. EDT (1900 GMT) on Thursday, July 10, 2025.

Tune in on Thursday at 3pm ET for a conversation with Rime Allaf, Ehud Yaari, @azelin.bsky.social, Andrew Tabler on the prospects of cooperation between Israel and the new Syrian government. @devorahmargolin.bsky.social will moderate.

Syrian Democratic Forces arrest two ISIS leaders in al-Hol camp The Syrian Democratic Forces announced that they had carried out a security operation in al-Hol camp, resulting in the arrest of two leaders of ISIS mercenary cells.

SDF continues to arrest male "ISIS leaders" in al-Hol camp, which primarily holds women and minors: hawarnews.com/en/syrian-de...

Syria’s government and Kurds still at odds over merging forces after latest talks, US envoy says A U.S. envoy says that Syria’s central government and the Kurds remain at odds over plans on merging their forces after the latest round of talks. U.S.

AP: "Syria’s government and Kurds still at odds over merging forces after latest talks, US envoy says" apnews.com/article/syri...

SDF leader, Syria’s al-Sharaa meet in presence of US envoy A Kurdish military commander met with Syria’s leader in Damascus on Wednesday in the presence of a US envoy to discuss stalled efforts to integrate the

"SDF leader, Syria’s al-Sharaa meet in presence of US envoy" english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-...

Deal reached for twice-monthly return of Iraqi families from al-Hol camp - Shafaq News Shafaq News – Baghdad/Damascus Iraq and the Kurdish-run autonomous administration in northeast Syria have agreed to resume the return for Iraqis at al-Hol camp, scheduling two voluntary trips each mo

“Deal reached for twice-monthly return of Iraqi families from al-Hol camp”
shafaq.com/en/Security/...

Redefining and Strengthening the U.S.-Iraq Relationship Through Energy and Security Iraq is more stable than it has been in decades but still faces enormous security and energy challenges, including the risk of spillover from Iran-Israel hostilities, dependence on unreliable Iranian ...

New piece with Noam Raydan for @washinstitute.bsky.social "Redefining and Strengthening the U.S.-Iraq Relationship Through Energy and Security" www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analy...

"Yazidi young man rescued 11 years after ISIS captivity" - 'As of now, nearly 2,600 Yazidis remain missing, according to the Office of Rescuing Abducted Yazidis' www.rudaw.net/english/midd...

Is the Islamic Republic Starting to Crack? The Signs to Watch Although the crisis has not yet checked all the boxes that would signal fatal regime vulnerability, the situation could change quickly due to shifting conditions on the battlefield, on the streets, or...

Is the Islamic Republic Starting to Crack? The Signs to Watch www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analy... @hdagres.bsky.social @washinstitute.bsky.social

"Ansar al-Sunna" claims responsibility for St. Elias Church bombing, threatens more  - ANHA The "Saraya Ansar al-Sunna" group has claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing that took place inside the St. Elias Church in Damascus, which resulted in the martyrdom and injury of dozens.

"Ansar al-Sunna" claims responsibility for St. Elias Church bombing, threatens more www.hawarnews.com/en/ansar-al-...

Syrian Kurds deny plans to transfer ISIS camp control to Damascus www.rudaw.net/english/midd...

About 1,000 Iraqis depart from al-Hol Camp, going back to their country Yesterday, 239 Iraqi families consisting of 944 individuals left al-Hol Camp in Hasakah countryside and went back to Iraqi soil.

Approximately 1,000 Iraqis depart from al-Hol Camp, are repatriated back to Iraq: hawarnews.com/en/about-100...

If you want to learn more about joining this first cohort of students, check out: publicpolicy.pepperdine.edu/master-middl...

Opinion | A New Hope for Middle Eastern Studies Pepperdine and the Washington Institute try to salvage the field.

WSJ: A New Hope for Middle Eastern Studies
Pepperdine (@pepperdine.bsky.social) and the Washington Institute (@washinstitute.bsky.social) try to salvage the field. www.wsj.com/opinion/pepp...

Reuters Exclusive: US pulls out of two more bases in Syria, worrying Kurdish forces www.reuters.com/business/med...