How Sharaa rules his impoverished, broken, and politically divided country remains an open question, but clearly U.S. President Donald Trump believes a White House visit will help unlock much-needed reconstruction assistance and set Syria on a positive path, writes @stevenacook.bsky.social.

My reflections on a recent visit to Lebanon and Syria in @foreignpolicy.com Those poor little kids...

Ghouta lies in ruins, but some life is coming back. youtube.com/shorts/wyWr1...

My latest @foreignpolicy.com A Trail of What Ifs and the Roads Not Taken foreignpolicy.com/2025/10/06/t...

Recent announcements by France, Britain, and Canada recognizing a Palestinian state are mostly performative. foreignpolicy.com/2025/08/06/r...

My latest @foreignpolicy.com From Ro Khanna to Tom Barrack... Washington is pushing outdated ideas and unrealistic goals. foreignpolicy.com/2025/09/15/d...

Now that he is back in the Middle East news, I am resurfacing my review of Jared Kushner's book... On Middle East politics, Jared Kushner is not the disruptor he says he is. foreignpolicy.com/2022/09/11/b...

Me @foreignpolicy.com I'm getting a Cold War-y vide... foreignpolicy.com/2025/08/21/i...

My latests @foreignpolicy.com Recent announcements by France, Britain, and Canada that they will recognize a Palestinian state are mostly performative. foreignpolicy.com/2025/08/06/r...

New from Me @foreignpolicy.com "There are moments when the United States can pursue a narrow and easily defined set of goals than can transform tactical gains into strategic ones. In the case of Syria, this is one of those moments." foreignpolicy.com/2025/07/22/s...

Nothing like a LEO to start the weekend.

Some weekend reading from me @foreignpolicy.com Trump's Iran Policy Has Gone Postmodern

Just got a call from someone claiming to be from US Customs and Border Protection. Clearly a scam. Be careful out there, folks.

My latest @foreignpolicy.com "Why Trump Changed His Mind on Iran"

My latest... On Oct 9, 2023, Prime Minister Netanyahu said Israel would "change the Middle East." Here we are. The Israeli attack on Iran is about much more than its nuclear program. foreignpolicy.com/2025/06/13/i...

New by me @foreignpolicy.com

Trump’s visit, and particularly his speech in Riyadh, was important for its forthrightness about what he and his administration believe is Washington’s appropriate place in the region. It is a vision—for lack of a better term—that should make both so-called restrainers and interventionists unhappy.

"Begs the question." Grrrr.

Me @foreignpolicy.com Washington's binary thinking on Iran obscures a better way forward...

U.S. higher education is the envy of the world—but, with state interference, maybe not for long. foreignpolicy.com/2025/04/09/a...

Farewell Iceman. Thank you for your service.

My latest @foreignpolicy.com

It was only a matter of time before the realities of Syria pierced the mostly optimistic and encouraging recent accounts of the country’s transition from the Assad dynasty, writes @stevenacook.bsky.social. foreignpolicy.com/2025/03/13/s...

My latest @foreignpolicy.com The obstacles to a better Syria are significant. Like elsewhere in the Middle East, sectarianism is baked into Syrian society. foreignpolicy.com/2025/03/13/s...

Also, not good quality cars.

Maybe now it will be possible to figure out what is happening in Syria...

I suspect the Vice President's secret service detail kept protesters at a safe distance.

Was wondering the same...

I gave up mine on quality issues.

I don't think I'm being an alarmist...

I could get behind Witkoff but the Israeli-Palestinian conflict isn't a real estate deal...

In just one press conference, Trump undermined U.S. credibility and added more uncertainty and instability to a region that has experienced too much of both, writes @stevenacook.bsky.social.

By Me

Check out the interview and better yet, read @stevenacook.bsky.social ‘s cook book. While we achieved stability in the past, our contemporary ambitions of reshaping and deposing regimes in the Middle East led to the opposite. This is why he advocates for a recalibration of policy in great detail

U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East: once about stability, now a cycle of ambition, intervention & unpredictability. Oil, Israel, Iran, shifting alliances—Trump, Biden, & beyond. What’s next in this high-stakes chess game? The End of Ambition w/ @stevenacook.bsky.social youtu.be/Jbm8IrPNK5c?...

Still there

My latest @foreignpolicy.com The last 15 months have set Israelis and Palestinians in reverse...

Is Erdogan really the "big winner" in #Syria? As @stevenacook.bsky.social tells me on The Greek Current, it's still too early to declare an Erdogan victory here. Tune in to our full chat here (or wherever you get your podcasts): thegreekcurrent.simplecast.com/episodes/is-...

Just had a brisket sandwich and my buddy had the pastrami sandwich at Mikey and Mel's deli on L Street, NW. We gave them four out of five pickles. Great new spot!

"The cease-fire and hostage agreement will save lives and provide an opportunity for more humanitarian assistance to reach Gazans in need. The underlying logic of the cease-fire is to make it permanent," writes @stevenacook.bsky.social.

Some Washington think tank analysts are more forceful...

My latest @foreignpolicy.com Hold up on the "Turkey won Syria" narrative. foreignpolicy.com/2025/01/13/t...

Snow in Washington is always so much fun.

The next civil war - Clashes in Syria between pro-Turkey, Kurdish forces kills 101, monitor says flip.it/OpTtvJ