resolution to investigate new reports of chemical weapons usage. Russia imposed no penalty on Damascus and vetoed a U.N. The Syrian government violated the de-escalation zones announced in Idlib, Aleppo and Homs provinces with airstrikes and obstacles to passage of humanitarian aid convoys. President Bashar al-Assad’s forces repeatedly ignored a Russian-declared de-escalation zone in the Damascus suburbs to recapture more districts near the capital. Ford, Senior Syrian government enjoyed success in 2017 containing the armed opposition and seeing the collapse of ISIS. policy will remain steady on key issues from week to week or-as some interlocutors in the region put it to me in a recent visit-“from tweet to tweet.” They don’t know who speaks for the United States nor whether U.S. Leaders in the region see a very erratic leader in the White House, and a divided administration with contradictory statements and policies. Trump started the year promising the ‘deal of the century’ over Israel-Palestine, but ended the year by unilaterally recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, a move that alienates potential peace partners and emboldens radicals, and makes even a semblance of a peace process much harder to revive.Īmerica’s standing the region is at a very low ebb. The United States effectively coexists with Iranian-backed forces in both Iraq and Syria. He kicked the issue of the nuclear deal to Congress, and while raising the rhetoric against Iran, there is no real pushback against Iran on the ground. Trump said he would reverse Obama policy on Iran, but he has not. The war on ISIS was a continuation, with intensification, of the war started under Obama, and it has reached victory in both Mosul and Raqqa. His administration’s score so far is one of four.

policy toward the Middle East during Trump’s first year, the president has spoken of several objectives including defeating ISIS, pushing back against Iran, resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and rebuilding America’s standing. It is hard to discern a fully elaborated U.S.

2017 news in review