Syria and the U.S. Role In the Middle East

The Obama administration is stepping up support for rebels in Syria’s civil war. Distinguished Scholar Robin Wright discusses U.S. leverage in Syria and America's role in the Middle East on the Diane Rehm Show.

Distinguished Scholar Robin Wright joins other panelists Dennis Ross and Kim Ghattas on the Diane Rehm Show to discuss  U.S. leverage in Syria and America's role in the Middle East.

“Because Syria is the strategic center of the Middle East with huge influence on what happens to many of its neighbors and all of our allies, that if you get involved in trying to put the opposition in power, then you have to go in afterwards and bear responsibility for creating an alternative. And this is where it's quite interesting. The Russian objection to doing more on Syria is in part because no one's defined what's next,” said Robin Wright.

Listen to the discussion.

Read the transcript of the discussion.

Middle East Program

The Wilson Center’s Middle East Program serves as a crucial resource for the policymaking community and beyond, providing analyses and research that helps inform US foreign policymaking, stimulates public debate, and expands knowledge about issues in the wider Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.   Read more

Middle East Program