{"id":23382,"date":"2016-01-03T10:26:51","date_gmt":"2016-01-03T15:26:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/?page_id=23382"},"modified":"2020-01-09T13:09:53","modified_gmt":"2020-01-09T18:09:53","slug":"landis-news-2015","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/landis-news-2015\/","title":{"rendered":"Landis in the News 2015"},"content":{"rendered":"<ul class=\"news_archive_list\">\n<li>Browse Archive By Year<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/landis-news\/\">Current<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/landis-news\/landis-news-2019\/\">2019<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/landis-news\/landis-news-2018\/\">2018<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/landis-news\/landis-news-2017\/\">2017<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/landis-news\/landis-news-2016\/\">2016<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a class=\"active\" href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/landis-news\/landis-news-2015\/\">2015<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/landis-news\/landis-news-2014\/\">2014<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/landis-news\/landis-news-2013\/\">2013<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/landis-news\/landis-news-2012\/\">2012<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/landis-news\/landis-news-2011\/\">2011<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/landis-news\/landis-news-2010\/\">2010<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/landis-news\/landis-news-2009\/\">2009<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/landis-news\/landis-news-2008\/\">2008<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/landis-news\/landis-news-2007\/\">2007<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/landis-news\/landis-news-2006\/\">2006<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/landis-news\/landis-news-2005\/\">2005<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/landis-news\/landis-news-2004\/\">2004<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The Washington Times<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtontimes.com\/news\/2015\/dec\/21\/obama-yields-to-russia-and-iran-puts-bashar-assad-\/\">Obama yields to Russia and Iran, puts Assad ouster on back burner<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>December 21, 2015<\/strong><br \/>\nby Guy Taylor<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The calculation that the White House has made is that working with Assad is less bad than the alternative of going to war with Russia over Assad, or of sending in a large number of American troops to fight the Islamic State on the ground,\u201d says Joshua Landis, who heads the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>PolitiFact<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.politifact.com\/truth-o-meter\/statements\/2015\/dec\/21\/chris-christie\/chris-christie-mostly-wrong-barack-obama-invited-r\/\">Chris Christie mostly wrong that Barack Obama invited Russia into military role in Syria<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>December 21, 2015<\/strong><br \/>\nby Louis Jacobson<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;It isn&#8217;t true,&#8221; Landis said. &#8220;The United states tried to oppose Russia moving aircraft and weaponry into Syria. The U.S. government convinced Greece and other countries to close its airspace to Russian planes. Russia flew over Iran and Iraq, which allowed the Russian resupply planes to overfly them. The U.S. could have attacked the Russian planes and ships and did not. I presume Chris Christie is confusing that with an invitation.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>International Business Times<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.ibtimes.com.au\/un-security-council-unanimously-adopts-resolution-conclude-long-standing-civil-war-syria-1494169\">UN security Council unanimously adopts resolution to conclude long-standing civil war in Syria<\/a><br \/>\nDecember 19, 2015<br \/>\nby Debleena Sarkar<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cIt is very good that the U.S. and Russia are trying to work together even if they have very different outcomes in mind,\u201d Bloomberg quoted Joshua Landis, director of the Centre for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, as saying. \u201cUp until now, both sides have believed that an escalation in fighting could help turn the balance of power in their favor and bring their opponents to their knees.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Geneva Centre for Security Policy<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.gcsp.ch\/Events\/Is-there-a-solution-in-Syria-with-Assad#.VnKOJIOvYrY.facebook\">Is there a solution in Syria with Assad?<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>December 16, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Dr Joshua Landis, Director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies and Associate Professor at the University of Oklahoma, took position in favour of a negotiated ceasefire with Bashar al-Assad that would keep him in power. His counterpart, Dr Randa Slim, Director of the Initiative for Track II Dialogues at the Middle East Institute in Washington DC and Adjunct Research Fellow at the New America Foundation, argued that Syria has no future with Assad staying in power.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>ABC RN (Australia&#8217;s NPR\/BBC)<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/radionational\/programs\/religionandethicsreport\/lessons-from-world-war-ii-for-the-middle-east-today\/7034284\">Lessons from WWII for the Middle East today<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>December 16, 2015<\/strong><br \/>\nPresenter Andrew West<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>American academic Joshua Landis likens what&#8217;s happening in the Middle East today to what occurred in Europe during and after World War II, where many nations became, through violence and genocide, ethnically homogenous.<br \/>\nIn Iraq, the Christian population has fallen from around 1.5 million at the time of the Western-backed invasion in 2003 to just 400,000 today. They&#8217;re barely clinging to survival in a land they&#8217;ve called home for 2,000 years. What future is there for the Middle East with religious nationalism in charge?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>AVE MARIA RADIO<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/avemariaradio.net\/audio_archive\/kresta-in-the-afternoon-december-15-2015-hour-2\/\">Special Coverage from Rome-Christian Persecution:A Global Tragedy <\/a><br \/>\n<strong>December 15, 2015<\/strong><br \/>\nby Al Kresta<\/p>\n<p>Foreign Policy<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2015\/12\/04\/will-an-al-qaeda-ally-be-a-peacemaker-in-syria\/\">Will an al Qaeda Ally Be a Peacemaker in Syria?<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>December 4, 2015<\/strong><br \/>\nby Colum Lynch, John Hudson<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>At the same time, the armed group signed up to a coalition \u2014 dubbed Jaish al-Fatah, or the Army of Conquest \u2014 that included fighters from al-Nusra Front and other extremist Islamic factions seeking to topple the Syrian regime.<br \/>\n\u201cThey are very tight with al-Nusra,\u201d said Joshua Landis, the director of the University of Oklahoma\u2019s Center for Middle East Studies.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>ABC RN<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/radionational\/programs\/rearvision\/is-a-syrian-settlement-possible\/6989802\">Is Syrian settlement possible?<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>December 2, 2015<\/strong><br \/>\nby Keri Phillips<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8216;They have a long swathe of territory that runs right along the Syrian\/Turkish border for hundreds of miles, from the Iraq border, where of course there&#8217;s Iraqi Kurdistan, right along this Turkish border to Kobani&#8217;, says Joshua Landis, head of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma.<br \/>\n&#8216;Then there&#8217;s another blob of Kurdish territory, Afrin, all the way out to the west. The Kurds would like to sew together all those Kurdish majority regions in a long strip that would almost divide Turkey from Syria.&#8217;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Newsweek<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/2015\/12\/04\/putins-bloody-logic-syria-397556.html\">Putin&#8217;s Bloody Logic in Syria<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>November 24, 2015<\/strong><br \/>\nby Owen Matthews<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Russia\u2019s\u2014and the regime\u2019s\u2014military strategy hinges on pushing that assault further. \u201cThis is all about Aleppo,\u201d says Joshua Landis, a Syria expert and former U.S. government adviser. \u201cRussia is trying to help Assad gain as much territory to create a state that makes sense\u2014that has to include Aleppo, a major port, and Idlib.\u2026 The Syrian leadership plans to take Aleppo in three months and in a year consolidate all of northwest Syria.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>DU Center for Middle East Studies<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=BBNPJl3LNLo&amp;feature=youtu.be\">Debating Syria&#8217;s Future-Landis, Ghadbian, Whitson, GelvinPanel discussion held in Denver at the Annual Meeting of the Middle East Studies Association <\/a><br \/>\n<strong>November 23, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Voice of America<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.golos-ameriki.ru\/content\/lendis-on-syria-interview\/3066739.html\">?????? ??????: \u00ab?????????? ? ???????? ?? ??????????? ? ??????? ?????\u00bb <\/a><br \/>\n<strong>November 20, 2015<\/strong><br \/>\nby ????? ?????????<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>?????? ??????: ??????????? ????? ?? ???????? ??????, ?? ????? ????? ? ???????? ???????? ? ????????? ??????????. ??? ?????????? ??????????, ??? ???? ?????? ????, ??? ? ?????? ??? ????????????, ? ??? ????????? ?????????? ??????. ?? ?????? ? ???? ??? ?? ??????????. ????????? ??????: ????????? ?????? ??? ????? ????? ? ???? ??????????? ???????????, ?? ??? ???, ???? ??? ????????????? ????????, ??????? ?? ???? ??????????? ? ? ?? ???? ?????? ?? ???? ??????.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Deutsche Welle<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/us-faces-limited-military-options-against-is\/a-18857232\">US faces limited military options against &#8216;IS&#8217;<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>November 18, 2015<\/strong><br \/>\nby Spencer Kimball<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Prior to the attacks in Paris, a small portion of the border had been left open so arms could flow to rebels fighting against President Bashar al-Assad&#8217;s government, according to Joshua Landis, an expert on Syria and US foreign policy at the University of Oklahoma. Devastating attacks in Paris &#8211; as well as Beirut and Ankara &#8211; have changed the Turkish and American calculus, Landis said. &#8220;What America is deciding do is to stop arming rebels and keep the Saudis and Qataris from arming them too and starve all those rebels of arms,&#8221; Landis, who is also the editor of Syria Comment, told DW. &#8220;That&#8217;s what&#8217;s ultimately going to stop ISIS and al Qaeda,&#8221; he said, using an alternative acronym for &#8220;Islamic State.&#8221; &#8220;They can only thrive if there&#8217;s open borders.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Principia News<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/news.principia.edu\/node\/2240\">ISIS and Islamic Extremism: Where Did It Come From and How Do We Respond?<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>November 16, 2015<\/strong><br \/>\nby Janessa Gans Wilder<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>These factors, in combination, turned the Fertile Crescent into fertile ground for an insurgency. Joshua Landis, author of the popular Syria Comment blog and director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, summed up the situation this way when we spoke recently: \u201cThis giant Sunni sea [of people in the Fertile Crescent] is caught between two very Shiite regimes\u2014feeling bereft, unrepresented, unjustly treated, and badly governed. Plus they have no water or resources. It\u2019s a very skimpy environment to be fending for yourself in. It\u2019s no wonder ISIS conquered the whole thing in one summer.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Sputnik International<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/sputniknews.com\/middleeast\/20151106\/1029724053\/us-proxy-war-counter-russia.html\">US Intensifies Proxy War in Syria to Counter Russia&#8217;s Direct Approach<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>November 06, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>University of Oklahoma Professor Joshua Landis told Sputnik that Russia is directly attacking rebel factions and Islamist groups based in western Syria as the US military indirectly arms forces on the opposite side of the country.<br \/>\n&#8220;The \u2018moderate\u2019 militias that are being absorbed by Nusra are in the West of the country and Russia is shooting at them,&#8221; Landis said. &#8220;Militias that the United States\u2026 is arming are in the East of Syria and [are] supposed to be working with the Kurds to fight ISIS [Islamic State].&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>RT<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.rt.com\/shows\/sophieco\/321020-syrian-peace-talk-conflict\/\">US in stupor, doesn&#8217;t know what to do or even what it wants in Syria-MidEast studies academic<\/a><br \/>\nby Sophie Shevardnadze<br \/>\n<strong>November 06, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>I think the U.S. wants to hear what everybody says, and everybody knows that Iran is fundamentally important. They have thousands of troops in Syria, they are funding the Syrians to the tune of billions of dollars: there\u2019s much controversy over how many billions, we don\u2019t know; and Hezbollah is in Syria, at Iran\u2019s urging, to a certain degree &#8211; and so, Iran is a key player. You cannot get any kind of peace agreement that would stick without Iran buying in &#8211; and I think U.S. understands that. And, in some ways, Russia, and the involvement of Russia in Syria has given cover to Secretary of State Kerry and President Obama to begin to revise some of their stance in the past.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Foreign Policy<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2015\/11\/04\/syria-crisis-tests-newfound-detente-between-washington-and-tehran\/?utm_content=buffer3b710&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter.com&amp;utm_campaign=buffer\">Syria Crisis Tests Newfound D\u00e9tente Between Washington and Tehran<\/a><br \/>\nby Colum Lynch<br \/>\n<strong>November 4, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The fate of the Syrian people will be determined on the ground, according to Joshua Landis, a Syria specialist who heads the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma. Last month, Russia launched a full-fledged military campaign to sway the balance of power in Assad\u2019s favor. The United States and its allies, meanwhile, continue near-daily airstrikes and have been plowing more money and arms into the region, including U.S.-made Tow missiles that have been used to take out Assad regime tanks.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>PBS Newshour<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.pbs.org\/newshour\/bb\/will-u-s-military-diplomatic-efforts-help-resolve-syrian-war\/\">Will U.S. military and diplomatic efforts help resolve the Syrian war?<\/a><br \/>\nby Judy Woodruff<br \/>\n<strong>October 30, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>They have had a lot of criticism, President Obama\u2019s had a lot of criticism, not only internally, because 50 intelligence people said that his administration was trying to gin up a success against ISIS, and it wasn\u2019t having a success against ISIS. So I think he\u2019s responding to the internal criticism he\u2019s had in the United States, but also in the region.<br \/>\nSaudi Arabia and others are saying Russia\u2019s moved into the region because Obama\u2019s got a very light footprint, and that there\u2019s a power vacuum, and, therefore, Russia is going to come in and displace the United States.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Think Progress<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/thinkprogress.org\/world\/2015\/10\/30\/3717942\/syria-russia-peace-talks\/\">Why Don&#8217;t Syrian Peace Talks Include Any Syrians?<\/a><br \/>\nby Justin Salhani<br \/>\n<strong>October 30, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cNobody is ready to talk to each other on the ground,\u201d Joshua Landis, a Syria expert who writes the blog Syria Comment, told ThinkProgress. \u201cTo the extent that this is a proxy war, the Russians and the Americans need to sort this out first and then it can go down stream.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cThe mantra for both sides is that there has to be a political solution,\u201d Landis said. \u201cThe trouble is that they mean something completely different by that.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Think Progress<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/thinkprogress.org\/world\/2015\/10\/30\/3717942\/syria-russia-peace-talks\/\">Why Don&#8217;t Syrian Peace Talks Include Any Syrians?<\/a><br \/>\nby Justin Salhani<br \/>\n<strong>October 30, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cNobody is ready to talk to each other on the ground,\u201d Joshua Landis, a Syria expert who writes the blog Syria Comment, told ThinkProgress. \u201cTo the extent that this is a proxy war, the Russians and the Americans need to sort this out first and then it can go down stream.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cThe mantra for both sides is that there has to be a political solution,\u201d Landis said. \u201cThe trouble is that they mean something completely different by that.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>El Peri\u00f3dico INTERNACIONAL<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.elperiodico.com\/es\/noticias\/internacional\/eeuu-prepara-operaciones-tierra-siria-irak-4626941\">EEUU prepara operaciones en tierra en Siria e Irak<\/a><br \/>\nby RICARDO MIR DE FRANCIA<br \/>\n<strong>October 29, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u00abLos iraqu\u00eds hab\u00edan empezado a pedir ayuda a Rusia al considerar que Washington no est\u00e1 haciendo lo suficiente\u00bb, afirma el director del Centro para Estudios de Oriente Pr\u00f3ximo de la Universidad de Oklahoma, Joshua Landis, para explicar los cambios anunciados por Carter. \u00abLo mismo piensa tambi\u00e9n parte del Congreso y muchos de los candidatos a la presidencia\u00bb.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The Star<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.thestar.com\/news\/world\/2015\/10\/28\/theres-no-going-home-for-the-millions-of-migrants-fleeing-syria-for-the-eu.html\">There&#8217;s no going home for the thousands of migrants fleeing Syria for the E.U.<\/a><br \/>\nby Olivia Ward<br \/>\n<strong>October 28, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The massive movement of people is reminiscent of \u201cthe great sorting out\u201d of the Second World War, says Joshua Landis of the University of Oklahoma. But the West is slow to come to terms with the stark reality that two of the Middle East\u2019s once iron-clad states have crumbled.\u201cAmerica is trying to talk a language that doesn\u2019t exist anymore \u2014 Iraqi and Syrian \u2018nationalism\u2019 and \u2018power-sharing.\u2019 This is a giant battle for who will own the land. For minorities it\u2019s a zero-sum game.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.volkskrant.nl\/buitenland\/poetins-ingrijpen-in-syrie-biedt-hoop~a4169536\/?utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_content=free&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;hash=9d48ed09468c219380d302888009eedab6e13157&amp;utm_campaign=shared%20content\">Poetins ingrijpen in Syri\u00eb biedt hoop<\/a><br \/>\nby Pieter Hotse Smit<br \/>\n<strong>October 24, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Joshua Landis, universitair hoofddocent Midden-Oostenstudies, Oklahoma University &#8216;Voor de VS is het goed dat Rusland zich in het Syrische &#8216;moeras&#8217; begeeft. Ze denken: laat de Russen maar verdrinken, daar worden wij relatief sterker van. Hun eigen strategie &#8211; het trainen en bewapenen van gematigde rebellen &#8211; was allang failliet.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The Washington Post<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/washpost.bloomberg.com\/Story?docId=1376-NW9UFH6S972C01-5JRATTKVO4VIKPI7CRJOFUFTTA\">Assad&#8217;s March on Aleppo Raises Fears of New Refugee Exodus<\/a><br \/>\nby Donna Abu-Nasr<br \/>\n<strong>October 19, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cSyria is the four cities: if you own them, you own Syria,\u201d said Joshua Landis, director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma. \u201cI suspect that the government believes that if they can own the four cities and win over the urban population, the countryside will eventually have to fall in line.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>BBC News<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/world-middle-east-34522268\">Russian firepower ups the stakes in Syria <\/a><br \/>\nby Jonathan Marcus<br \/>\n<strong>October 15, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The US is stepping up ammunition deliveries to groups that it backs, though as Syria analyst Joshua Landis notes, &#8220;the real question is whether the US is committed to helping Syrian rebels win &#8211; which seems doubtful&#8221;. He adds: &#8220;[US President Barack] Obama has already said he doesn&#8217;t want to fight Russia over Syria, but he could help the Saudis escalate arms deliveries.&#8221;<br \/>\nMr Landis points out that stepping up arms supplies carries no guarantee as to whose hands the weaponry actually falls into.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>AFP<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/news.yahoo.com\/russias-air-war-syria-game-changer-us-experts-234525806.html\">Russia&#8217;s air war in Syria a game-changer for US: experts<\/a><br \/>\nby Thomas Watkins<br \/>\n<strong>October 14, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Part of the reason for Washington&#8217;s reluctance in Syria, argues Joshua Landis, director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, is that it has no credible alternative to Assad &#8212; or IS &#8212; to champion.<br \/>\n&#8220;The trouble is that America doesn&#8217;t have a partner,&#8221; he said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The National<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.thenational.ae\/uae\/government\/uae-model-of-pluralism-praised-by-us-professor\">&#8216;UAE model of pluralism&#8217; praised by US professor<\/a><br \/>\nby Thamer Al Subaihi<br \/>\n<strong>October 12, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cThe Middle East is in the midst of an enlightenment struggle and many people are turning against this kind of sectarianism because they are seeing how it is tearing their world apart,\u201d said Joshua Landis, associate professor and director of the Centre for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, on Monday during his first visit to Abu Dhabi.<br \/>\nDr Landis was in the capital as a guest speaker at a Lunchtime Lecture Series talk organised by New York University Abu Dhabi\u2019s Arab Crossroads Programme.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Hurriyet Daily News<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.hurriyetdailynews.com\/its-not-what-it-looks-like.aspx?pageID=449&amp;nID=89655&amp;NewsCatID=466\">It&#8217;s not what it looks like<\/a><br \/>\nby VERDA \u00d6ZER<br \/>\n<strong>October 10, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>According to Landis, the U.S. stopped supplying weapons or training to all militias in Syria right after the \u201cmoderate\u201d militias were overrun by al-Nusra at the end of July and all their U.S.-supplied weapons were confiscated by the group.<br \/>\nHe says that another reason of this policy shift is that the U.S. doesn\u2019t want to \u201cown\u201d particular rebel groups. This is because in response to Russia, the rebels are now all trying to coordinate, including al-Nusra. \u201cSo the U.S. cannot separate the moderates from the extremists anymore and would be accused of supporting terrorism,\u201d he says.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Islamic Commentary<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/islamicommentary.org\/2015\/10\/listen-do-russia-and-the-u-s-have-any-common-ground-in-syria-josh-landis-comments\/\">Do Russia and the U.S. Have Any Common Ground in Syria? <\/a><br \/>\nby Robin Young<br \/>\n<strong>October 08, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>In Brussels today, NATO defense ministers urged Russia to stop backing Syrian President Bashar Assad. At the same time, Syria\u2019s top general praised the Russians for their airstrikes, saying they have cleared the way for the new ground offensive that Syrian troops have mounted to eliminate terrorists \u2013 a term the Syrian government uses to refer to all armed opposition to Assad.<br \/>\nJoshua Landis, director of the Center for Middle East Studies and an associate professor at the University of Oklahoma\u2019s College of International Studies joins Here &amp; Now\u2019s Robin Young to discuss the evolving situation.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>ABC Radio National<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/radionational\/programs\/breakfast\/us-and-russia-bristle-over\/6832554\">US and Russia bristle over Syria conflict<\/a><br \/>\nby Fran Kelly<br \/>\n<strong>October 07, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Syrian state television says that Russian warplanes have bombed Islamic State targets in and around the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra.<br \/>\nMoscow began bombing Syria a week ago and maintains its airstrikes aim to defeat terrorist groups like Islamic State.<br \/>\nBut Russia&#8217;s definition of a terrorist group also encompasses some that are allies of the United States.<br \/>\nJosh Landis is the Director of the Centre for Middle East Studies and Associate Professor at the University of Oklahoma&#8217;s College of International Studies.<br \/>\nHe joins RN Breakfast from Oklahoma.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Al Jazeera<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/america.aljazeera.com\/articles\/2015\/10\/1\/russian-strikes-in-syria-reveal-incoherence-of-us-policy.html\">Russia&#8217;s Syria strikes reveal incoherence in US policy<\/a><br \/>\nby Michael Pizzi<br \/>\n<strong>October 01, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>If protecting Assad&#8217;s regime was the goal, limiting strikes to ISIL would make little strategic sense. Moscow includes all anti-Assad armed groups as &#8220;terrorists&#8221; bent on dismantling the Syrian state. \u201cPutin isn\u2019t going to pick and choose between them, he\u2019s not going to partition Syria between Jaysh al-Fatah and Assad,\u201d said Joshua Landis, a Syria expert at the University of Oklahoma. \u201cIn a sense, Russia is setting up a division of labor: The Americans are holding down ISIS, and Russia will go after Al-Qaeda and its allies.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>ABC Radio National<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/radionational\/programs\/betweenthelines\/who27s-doing-what-in-syria3f\/6820202\">Who&#8217;s doing what to whom in Syria?<\/a><br \/>\nby Tom Switzer<br \/>\n<strong>October 01, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>This week President Obama and President Putin clashed at the UN. The subject was how to tackle the conflicts in Syria and elsewhere in the Middle East. They blamed each other for the region\u2019s turmoil. Later, Putin appeared at the U.N. for the first time in a decade. And he flatly disagreed with Obama. For Putin, there`s only one way to end the brutal conflict in Syria and to defeat the Sunni jihadists: Embolden the embattled Assad regime. Meanwhile, the new Turnbull government says the Syrian dictator must be part of any negotiated political solution.<br \/>\nSo where to from here?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Voice of America<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.voanews.com\/content\/russia-defends-airstrikes-in-syria\/2986925.html\">White House: Russia Endangering Itself With Syrian Airstrikes<\/a><br \/>\nby Pamela Docking &amp; Carla Babb<br \/>\n<strong>October 01, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;It\u2019s not very clear how far it can go in this process,&#8221; said Landis, an associate professor in the School of International and Area Studies at the University of Oklahoma. He said Washington has been trying to balance two separate interests. &#8220;On one hand, it insists on the values of human rights, democracy and getting rid of dictators &#8230; but on the other hand there is this interest of rooting out ISIS from Syria,&#8221; and for that the U.S. may need to work with the Russians and Assad.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.lorientlejour.com\/article\/946629\/peut-il-y-avoir-un-gouvernement-de-transition-en-syrie-.html\">Peut-il y avoir un gouvernement de transition en Syrie?<\/a><br \/>\nby Caroline HAYEK<br \/>\n<strong>September 29, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>M\u00eame son de cloche chez le directeur du Center for Middle East Studies et professeur \u00e0 l&#8217;Universit\u00e9 d&#8217;Oklahoma, Joshua Landis, interrog\u00e9 par L&#8217;Orient-Le Jour, qui estime qu&#8217;il n&#8217;y aura pas de gouvernement de transition en Syrie. \u00ab Si transition il y a, le flou r\u00e8gne sur qui la composera. Si Daech est d\u00e9truit, et que le r\u00e9gime d&#8217;Assad reconquiert l&#8217;Est syrien, ce qui est clairement l&#8217;objectif de Poutine, ce sera tr\u00e8s difficile de se d\u00e9barrasser d&#8217;Assad \u00bb, argumente l&#8217;expert.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>NPR<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.npr.org\/2015\/09\/28\/444236874\/support-for-syrian-regime-critical-in-fight-against-isis-putin-says-at-u-n\">Support For Syrian Regime Critical In Fight Against ISIS, Putin Says At U.N.<\/a><br \/>\nby Robert Siegel<br \/>\n<strong>September 28, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Without Syria, Russia really doesn&#8217;t have a foothold in the Central states of the Middle East. That&#8217;s a beachhead on the Arab-Israeli conflict, which is very important to him. It&#8217;s a major base in Tartus for refitting Russian ships. And it&#8217;s put him at the center of international politics for the last several years, whether it&#8217;s the two Geneva Conferences on Syria, the chemical weapons issue. And today, his big headliner at the U.N. is about Syria.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Los Angeles Times<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.latimes.com\/world\/middleeast\/la-fg-analysis-syria-policy-assad-20150927-story.html\">Analysis: With Syria policy in tatters, Obama may relax stance on Assad<\/a><br \/>\nby Patrick J. McDonnell<br \/>\n<strong>September 27, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cThe U.S. policy of arming \u2018moderate\u2019 rebels to take on both ISIS and Assad &#8230; has failed entirely,\u201d said Joshua Landis, a Syria expert at the University of Oklahoma, using a common acronym for Islamic State. \u201cAll the major militias in Syria are allied either with ISIS or Al Qaeda in Syria. At this point, no Western power wants Assad to fall and these militias to take Damascus, a city of 5 million people. It would be a disaster for the West.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Voice of America<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.voanews.com\/content\/monitor-says-truce-takes-effect-in-key-syrian-battle-zones\/2979339.html\">Monitor: Truce Takes Effect in Key Syrian Battle Zones<\/a><br \/>\nby Edward Yeranian<br \/>\n<strong>September 25, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Despite government insistence it will fight to \u201cliberate\u201d all of the country, some analysts, like Joshua Landis, who heads the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, argue the situation appears &#8220;to be heading for a de facto partition\u201d of the country, although he believes both the US and Russia will &#8220;studiously avoid mention of such an ill-fated word, which would be illegal according to international law and reviled by 70% of Syrians.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Defense News<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/story\/defense\/policy-budget\/warfare\/2015\/09\/21\/syrian-train-equip-program-mission-impossible-start\/72376560\/\">Was Syrian Train-and-Equip Effort Always a &#8216;Mission Impossible&#8217;?<\/a><br \/>\nby Joe Could<br \/>\n<strong>September 21, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Joshua Landis, director of the Center for Middle East Studies, said the train-and-equip program was divorced from the ground truth in Syria, that the US has no moderate militants with whom it can work, and that the dominant forces there are either with the Assad regime or al-Qaida-affiliated groups. \u201cThe train and equip is a unicorn, it\u2019s mythology, and it\u2019s been preserved because it\u2019s an important talking point for the administration,\u201d Landis said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The National<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.thenational.ae\/world\/americas\/us-and-russia-willing-to-hold-talks-on-syrian-conflict\">US and Russia willing to hold talks on Syrian conflict<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>September 18, 2015<\/strong><br \/>\nby Josh Wood<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Joshua Landis, director of the University of Oklahoma&#8217;s Center of Middle East Studies, said Russia likely decided to get more involved in the conflict to protect an increasingly weak Syrian government.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>VQR A National Journal of Literature &amp; Discussion<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.vqronline.org\/reporting-articles\/2015\/09\/what-kurds-want\">What the Kurds Want<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>September 18, 2015<\/strong><br \/>\nby Jenna Krajeski<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cThe relationship between the Damascenes and the Kurds from the beginning was, \u2018We can strong-arm them,\u2019 which is what every Syrian government has done since,\u201d Joshua Landis, the director of the Center of Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, told me. \u201cThey were kept at the mercy of the government, their status totally insecure. So why wouldn\u2019t they try to get independence?\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Sputnik News<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/sputniknews.com\/military\/20150918\/1027225811.html\">US Should Reconfigure Program to Train-Equip &#8216;Moderate&#8217; Syrian Rebels<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>September 18, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;The United States should scrap its train-and-equip program,&#8221; University of Oklahoma Professor and renowned expert on Syria Joshua Landis told Sputnik on Friday. &#8220;The US strategy to develop a \u2018moderate\u2019 Free Syrian Army presence in Syria has failed.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>ZEIT ONLINE<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.zeit.de\/politik\/ausland\/2015-09\/syrien-russland-truppen-baschar-al-assad-eu-joshua-landis\">&#8220;Europa muss sich die H\u00e4nde schmutzig machen&#8221;<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>September 15, 2015<\/strong><br \/>\nby Paul Middelhoff<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Joshua Landis: Putin hat eine klare Botschaft f\u00fcr die Weltgemeinschaft: Er wird nicht zulassen, dass der Westen das Regime von Baschar al-Assad weiter schw\u00e4cht. Pr\u00e4sident Assad hat im vergangenen Jahr harte R\u00fcckschl\u00e4ge hinnehmen m\u00fcssen. Die Provinzhauptst\u00e4dte Idlib und Palmyra hat er verloren, heute sind nur noch 25 Prozent des syrischen Staatsgebiets unter seiner Kontrolle. Deshalb ger\u00e4t nun auch Russland unter Druck. Putin will vermeiden, dass seine Position in Syrien br\u00f6ckelt, wenn sein Verb\u00fcndeter Assad f\u00e4llt.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Al Jazeera<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/indepth\/features\/2015\/09\/opening-door-thousands-syrians-150913092418353.html\">US: Opening the door to thousands of Syrians<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>September 13, 2015<\/strong><br \/>\nby James Reinl<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Joshua Landis, a Syria analyst at the University of Oklahoma, warned that many Syrian refugees would struggle to reach the high bar set by the US&#8217; anti-terrorism security checks. The US has a bad track record on refugees, he added.<br \/>\n&#8220;Washington keeps on promising that the pathway is being greased, but it takes time for the wheels of our massive bureaucracy to process them, along with all the security vetting that comes with it,&#8221; he said.<br \/>\n&#8220;It was the same with Iraq, very few refugees made it here in the early years of the conflict.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The Jerusalem Post<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/Analysis: Syrian conflict worsens as outside states raise involvement\">Analysis: Syrian conflict worsens as outside states raise involvement<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>September 11, 2015<\/strong><br \/>\nby Ariel Ben Solomon<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cRussia is upping the ante in Syria in an attempt to convince the West to reverse its stand that Assad must go,\u201d Joshua Landis, a Syria expert and the director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday. Putin insists that the Assad regime be part of any future plans for a resolution to the Syrian conflict.<br \/>\n\u201cThe Russian effort is unlikely to succeed,\u201d Landis continued, noting US President Barack Obama\u2019s insistence that Assad step aside.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Sputnik News<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/m.sputniknews.com\/middleeast\/20150910\/1026828677\/us-scared-to-overthrow-assad-regime-joshua-landis.html\">Assad or No Assad? US Hates Syrian Leader but Now Scared to Overthrow Him<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>September 10, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;In Syria, all is not lost yet, but only if countries involved will open their eyes and take back their demands, which they themselves know, are useless and impractical. Now, it&#8217;s like the theater of the absurd, they continue to adhere to these demands, while the crisis is getting worse and worse every day,&#8221; Joshua Landis, an expert on Syria, told La Repubblica.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Think Progress<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/thinkprogress.org\/world\/2015\/09\/09\/3699739\/united-states-syrian-refugees\/\">Security Concerns, Islamophobia Preventing U.S. From Pitching In On Syrian Refugee Crisis<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>September 9, 2015<\/strong><br \/>\nby Justin Salhani<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cPart of it is the wheels of policy turn very slowly in U.S.,\u201d Joshua Landis, editor of Syria Comment and Head of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, told ThinkProgress. \u201cVery few [Iraqis resettled] in the first year of the invasion of Iraq. Since then the number of Iraqis seeking asylum has been much higher and going up.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>NPR All Things Considered<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.npr.org\/2015\/09\/07\/438354764\/as-civil-war-rages-on-life-in-syria-has-crumbled\">As Civil War Rages On, &#8216;Life In Syria Has Crumbled&#8217;<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>September 7, 2015<\/strong><br \/>\nby Audie Cornish<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>JOSHUA LANDIS: Life in Syria has really crumbled. Syrians of every color are trying to get out of their country. It&#8217;s very expensive to get to Europe. They&#8217;re spending thousands of dollars to pay people to guide them, to get boats. So it&#8217;s not the poorest of the poor. And their children are getting older, and as they get older, they&#8217;re going to move towards military age. And nobody in Syria wants their kids to go into that military.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Turkish Weekly<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.turkishweekly.net\/2015\/09\/05\/news\/noted-blogger-on-mideast-advises-us-intervene-less-not-more\/\">Noted blogger on Mideast advises US: Intervene less, not more<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>September 5, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>One way of understanding what is happening there is to look at Central Europe a half century ago, Landis said. \u201cDuring World War II there was a great sorting out,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Poland was 64 percent Polish before World War II; by the end of World War II, it was 100 percent Polish. Czechoslovakia had 32 percent minorities; all of them are gone. This is true right down Central Europe.\u201d Landis said a great sorting out is taking place in the Middle East now as fighters united by a fervent transnational Islamic identity expel Christians, Jews and other minorities and seize territory from traditional rulers.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Voice of America<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.voanews.com\/content\/noted-blogger-mideast-advises-united-states-intervene-less\/2948917.html\">Noted Blogger on Mideast Advises US: Intervene Less, Not More <\/a><br \/>\n<strong>September 04, 2015<\/strong><br \/>\nby Greg Flakus<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Landis said the United States is obligated to help Iraq fight IS because the uprising is a result of the U.S. intervention in that nation, but the goal is far from clear. His advice to policymakers is to intervene less, not more.<br \/>\n\u201cI guess it is a plea for modesty and a bit of a sense that America really cannot control this region,\u201d he said.<br \/>\n\u201cInstead of arming various groups,&#8221; Landis added, &#8220;try to keep the various factions from being armed. Convince the Iranians and the Saudis not to send in arms. We shouldn\u2019t be doing it ourselves and facilitating it, because the more arms you throw in, the bloodier these civil wars become.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>PRI<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.pri.org\/stories\/2015-09-03\/what-are-gulf-countries-doing-help-syrian-refugee-crisis\">The Gulf countries are doing virtually nothing to help with the Syrian refugee crisis<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>September 3, 2015<\/strong><br \/>\nby Shirin Jaafari<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>According to Joshua Landis, the Arab states are doing very little. In fact, he says they don\u2019t have any policy refugees. They simply don\u2019t allow them in.<br \/>\n\u201cIf you try and sneak in and you\u2019re caught, you be immediately thrown out of the country,\u201d he says.<br \/>\nLandis, who\u2019s the director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, explains that there are several reasons why Gulf states haven\u2019t been very welcoming.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>RT<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.rt.com\/op-edge\/314090-protest-refugees-<strong>religion-lebanon\/&#8221;>&#8217;Revolution, civil war unlikely in Lebanon&#8217;<\/a><br \/>\nSeptember 2, 2015<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>This is a country of 4.5 million people. In time those millions plus Syrian refugees are going to change the religious balance of Lebanon away from this third\/third\/third which is underpinning the parliament in a status quo. I think many of them will try to go to Europe, because there are no jobs in Lebanon; they are treated terribly in Lebanon; the Lebanese have gotten tired of welcoming them with open arms. After four and a half years the country is exhausted. Many will try to go to Europe, especially if Europe moves forward with an accommodating policy.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The National<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.thenational.ae\/world\/middle-east\/why-russia-wont-remove-assad-from-power\">Why Russia won&#8217;t remove Assad from power<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>August 29, 2015<\/strong><br \/>\nby Anton Issa<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cNobody is on the same page, there is zero agreement on who should win and what should be exchanged,\u201d Joshua Landis, Syria expert and director of the Centre for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, told The National.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Al Jazeera America<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/america.aljazeera.com\/articles\/2015\/8\/19\/new-push-for-syria-peace-emerges.html\">Amid regional tectonic shifts, new push for Syria peace emerges<\/a><br \/>\nby Michael Pizzi<br \/>\n<strong>August 19, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cAt first, everybody could say the alternative to Assad was their own faction. The U.S. said it would be the moderates,\u201d said Joshua Landis, a leading expert on Syria at the University of Oklahoma. \u201cToday you can\u2019t say those things. All the major winners on the ground today are Salafist-jihadists. That causes a real anxiety, especially now that Assad is looking weak.\u201d \u201cAmerica has set destroying or containing ISIS as the core goal in the region. And our military leaders are trying to organize a foreign policy based on that goal,\u201d Landis said, using another acronym for ISIL. \u201cSo our other goals \u2014 overturning Assad, creating democracy in Syria, power-sharing in Iraq \u2014 they\u2019ve taken a second seat to destroying ISIS.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>L&#8217;Orient-Le Jour<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.lorientlejour.com\/article\/939849\/pour-un-expert-le-plan-de-paix-onusien-pour-la-syrie-na-aucune-chance-daboutir-.html\">Pour un expert, le plan de paix onusien pour la Syrie \u00ab n\u2019a aucune chance d\u2019aboutir \u00bb<\/a><br \/>\nby Samia MEDAWAR<br \/>\n<strong>August 19, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u00ab Que peuvent faire l&#8217;Onu, ou de Mistura, apr\u00e8s tant d&#8217;\u00e9checs, et alors que la communaut\u00e9 internationale et la Syrie sont si d\u00e9chir\u00e9s \u00bb, se demande Joshua Landis, directeur du Center for Middle East Studies et professeur \u00e0 l&#8217;Universit\u00e9 d&#8217;Oklahoma. \u00ab De Mistura ne pose aucune pr\u00e9condition dans son initiative. Le fait que cette derni\u00e8re soit si vague, si floue, si obscure prouve qu&#8217;elle ne veut strictement rien dire. C&#8217;est en cela qu&#8217;elle est si int\u00e9ressante : personne ne perd ou ne gagne (dans ce plan) \u00bb, ass\u00e8ne le chercheur.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Carnegie Endowment For International Peace<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/carnegieendowment.org\/syriaincrisis\/?fa=60917\">Syria in Crisis: Grim Expert Assessments of Syria&#8217;s Peace Process<\/a><br \/>\nby Aron Lund<br \/>\n<strong>August 03, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;Assad has made it patently clear that he will not make important reforms to his political system and will fight to the end. He can be compelled to shrink the area he controls, but cannot be compelled to compromise or step aside. In his latest speech he emphasized that the war is one of existence. There is every reason to believe that his assessment is correct\u2014at least for the officers that police his security state and perhaps even for the Alawite community that has fought so hard for him.&#8221; Joshua Landis is the director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma and runs the blog Syria Comment.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Middle East Eye<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.middleeasteye.net\/news\/us-moves-deny-reports-syria-trainees-captured-al-nusra-front-45356779\">US moves to quash reports on Syria trainees captured by al-Nusraby Mary Atkinson<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>July 30, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cThe US is clearly strictly focused on counter-terrorism, not nation building,\u201d says Joshua Landis, editor of Syria Comment and director of the University of Oklahoma&#8217;s Centre for Middle East Studies.<br \/>\n\u201cPresident Obama has tried to maintain a very narrow policy [in Syria], though many military leaders have criticised him, saying that it\u2019s impossible to stop IS until you destroy IS.In some ways, though, the farce of the train and equip programme will only confirm that Obama was right to say the US should not get sucked into the quagmire in Syria.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>L&#8217;Orient-Le Jour<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.lorientlejour.com\/article\/936628\/apres-laccord-sur-le-nucleaire-liran-en-relative-position-de-force-en-syrie.html\">Apr\u00e8s l\u2019accord sur le nucl\u00e9aire, l\u2019Iran en \u2013 relative \u2013 position de force en Syrie<\/a><br \/>\nby Anthony Samrani<br \/>\n<strong>July 29, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u00ab L&#8217;Iran pourrait se satisfaire d&#8217;une division de la Syrie, mais Assad continue de s&#8217;opposer \u00e0 cela. M\u00eame s&#8217;il a reconnu ses d\u00e9faites, ses propos laissent penser qu&#8217;il continue de croire qu&#8217;il finira par r\u00e9cup\u00e9rer le territoire syrien. Il garde l&#8217;espoir en vie et s&#8217;oppose \u00e0 tout compromis \u00bb, analyse Joshua Landis, directeur du Centre pour les \u00e9tudes sur le Moyen-Orient et professeur \u00e0 l&#8217;universit\u00e9 d&#8217;Oklahoma.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Dabiq<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/ia601501.us.archive.org\/8\/items\/Dabiq10\/Dabiq10.pdf\">THE ALLIES OF AL-Q?\u2019IDAH IN SH?M: PART III<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>Issue #10<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cHas [Zahran] changed his views? \u2018That is a very good question,\u2019 said Joshua Landis, a Syria expert at the University of Oklahoma who\u2019s written about Alloush. Alloush and his staff \u2018are getting much more savvy,\u2019 he said, based on Twitter conversations he\u2019s had with the commander\u2019s spokesman.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201c\u2018Everybody is aware now that the regime is very weak and on the way to collapse,\u2019 said Bassam Barabandi, a former Syrian diplomat who lives in Washington. \u2018And every major player wants to be acceptable to the West and to the international community.\u2019\u201d<br \/>\n\u201c\u2018Zahran wants to be on the winning side,\u2019 he said.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Washington Times<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtontimes.com\/news\/2015\/jun\/29\/russian-iranian-loyalty-to-bashar-assad-tested-as-\/\">Russian, Iranian loyalty to Bashar Assad tested as Syria approaches \u2018tipping point\u2019<\/a><br \/>\nby Guy Taylor<br \/>\n<strong>June 29, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cI just don\u2019t think there\u2019s about to be a recalculation by the Russians and the Iranians,\u201d said Joshua Landis, a longtime Syria analyst who heads the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma. \u201cThey\u2019re going to hang on and hope Assad gets through this without collapsing so they\u2019ll have a piece of the pie at whatever negotiating table may one day come to the fore. \u201cThe standard American goal is they would like to reach some kind of balance where Assad feels the need to negotiate and leave Syria, but he\u2019s not going to leave. It\u2019s just not going to happen,\u201d said Mr. Landis. \u201cThe trouble is that there are so many moving parts to this war and the U.S. has almost no leverage at this point.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The National<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.thenational.ae\/world\/americas\/to-stem-isil-advance-us-must-clarify-syria-strategy\">To stem ISIL advance, US must clarify Syria strategy<\/a><br \/>\nby Anton Issa<br \/>\n<strong>June 24, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>One key setback in the US air campaign is the lack of partners on the ground to provide intelligence to strike at ISIL beyond the frontlines, said Joshua Landis, Syria expert at the University of Oklahoma. \u201cThe most prolific bombing is in front of various military campaigns, where they have spotters calling in airstrikes on ISIL positions,\u201d he said. But the campaign lacks intelligence on targets from deep inside ISIL-held territory, Mr Landis added.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The Globe and Mail<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.theglobeandmail.com\/news\/world\/syrian-class-divisions-growing-during-civil-war-helping-assad-regime\/article25061620\/\">Syrian class divisions growing during civil war, helping Assad regime<\/a><br \/>\nby Mark Mackinnon<br \/>\n<strong>June 23, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cThe class division is huge and becomes more important every day,\u201d Joshua Landis, director of the centre for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, told The Globe and Mail. He said many middle-class and upper-class Syrians are supporting the regime out of fear of what might come after it. \u201cThe lower class is with the rebels, and those who are better off are terrified of these people coming in and taking over their cities because the first thing they\u2019ll do is come into their homes and take their cars and televisions.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Foreign Policy<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2015\/06\/22\/druze-syria-assad-israel-netanyahu\/\">Trapped Between Assad, Israel, and al Qaeda<\/a><br \/>\nby Nour Samaha<br \/>\n<strong>June 22, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The Israeli idea of a Druze autonomous state is not a new one. For Joshua Landis, director of the Center for Middle East Studies at Oklahoma University, it would not be unusual for Israel to try to court the Druze in Syria\u2019s south. \u201cIsrael has a vested interest in the whole southern region and would like to have some kind of buffer zone,\u201d he said. \u201cThere is a long history of Israel fishing in Syria\u2019s troubled waters and seeing if the Druze are amenable to some kind of little protectorate.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>KCBX Central Coast Public Radio<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/kcbx.org\/post\/how-kurds-are-succeeding-iraq\">How The Kurds Are Succeeding In Iraq<\/a><br \/>\nby Editor<br \/>\n<strong>June 20, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;The Iraqi forces are a mess, and the U.S. is very worried about these Shiite militias. They are supported by Iran. The United States does not like the disunity. It doesn&#8217;t want to help the Shiite militias serve as a military. It doesn&#8217;t believe that they&#8217;re much better than ISIS. So, the United States has hung back in Iraq in a way that it has not with the Kurds. It has developed a close relationship with the Kurds. The Kurds are very united. And once they realized the Kurds were plucky fighters, they were organized, they were very grateful to the Americans, this relationship blossomed.&#8221; Joshua Landis<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Financial Times<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.ft.com\/intl\/cms\/s\/0\/281b30fa-14ff-11e5-9509-00144feabdc0.html#axzz3eCDG7mjk\">ISIS imposes fuel blockade on rebel-held northern Syria<\/a><br \/>\nby Erika Solomon in Beirut<br \/>\n<strong>June 18, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cIsis is sitting on top of this oil and Americans won\u2019t bomb it, because all these people are dependent on it,\u201d said Syria analyst Joshua Landis. \u201cEveryone would starve to death because it\u2019s the only source of wealth in Syria and Iraq.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The Wall Street Journal<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/islamic-state-suicide-car-bombers-attack-syrian-government-checkpoints-1433517166\">Islamic State Suicide Car Bombers Attack Syrian Government Checkpoints<\/a><br \/>\nby Mohammed Nour Al Akraa and Karen Leigh<br \/>\n<strong>June 5, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Islamic State &#8220;will be trying to consolidate their holding over the entire east,&#8221; said Joshua Landis, director of the Center for Middle East Studies at Oklahoma University. &#8220;Hasakeh&#8217;s a mixed city with Arabs and Kurds, and it&#8217;s been a site of constant friction because these are two different populations that have very different ambitions for the region.&#8221; Mr. Landis said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>L&#8217;Orient-Le Jour <a href=\"http:\/\/www.lorientlejour.com\/article\/927943\/bachar-el-assad-devra-choisir-sauver-damas-ou-sauver-alep-.html\">Assad devra choisir : sauver Damas ou sauver Alep?<\/a><br \/>\nby Lina KENNOUCHE<br \/>\n<strong>June 03, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Ce constat est confirm\u00e9 par Joshua Landis, directeur du Centre pour les \u00e9tudes sur le Moyen-Orient et professeur \u00e0 l&#8217;Universit\u00e9 d&#8217;Oklahoma. Selon lui, la menace directe provient du fait que, d&#8217;un c\u00f4t\u00e9, les effectifs sont de plus en plus r\u00e9duits pour les forces loyalistes, de l&#8217;autre, les groupes arm\u00e9s sont \u00ab aujourd&#8217;hui de plus en plus organis\u00e9s, re\u00e7oivent une aide logistique importante et des fournitures en armes de plus en plus sophistiqu\u00e9es. L&#8217;avantage dont disposait le r\u00e9gime en raison de sa force de frappe a\u00e9rienne s&#8217;efface, puisqu&#8217;il a d\u00e9sormais face \u00e0 lui des groupes \u00e9quip\u00e9s en canons dont la capacit\u00e9 destructrice permet de s&#8217;attaquer \u00e0 des b\u00e2timents dans lesquels s&#8217;abritent les soldats de l&#8217;arm\u00e9e loyaliste au cours des gu\u00e9rillas urbaines \u00bb.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Voice of America<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.voanews.com\/content\/heavy-fighting-intense-airstrikes-over-aleppo-region-of-northern-syria\/2804423.html\">Intense Airstrikes Over Syria&#8217;s Aleppo Region<\/a><br \/>\nby Edward Yeranian<br \/>\n<strong>June 02, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Joshua Landis, who heads the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, noted that rebel infighting has intensified as opposing factions vie for control of Aleppo. \u201cAn unstated truce,\u201d he said, \u201cbetween the Jabhat al-Nusra, the Free Syrian Army and [Islamic State] that has held for almost a year is now breaking down.\u201d \u201cIt would make more sense,\u201d he said, \u201cfor Jabhat al-Nusra and Islamic State to cooperate and go after Damascus, the seat of [President Bashar al-] Assad&#8217;s power, but the temptations of Aleppo are too strong.\u201d \u201cFor this reason,\u201d he argues, \u201cthe Assad regime may survive more years.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>My East-West<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/margaridasantoslopes.com\/2015\/05\/30\/o-irao-nunca-deixara-o-daesh-entrar-em-bagdad\/\">DAESH: Que for\u00e7a \u00e9 esta que renasce das cinzas? <\/a><br \/>\nby Margarita Santos Lopes<br \/>\n<strong>May 30, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cO regime est\u00e1 assustado e a recuar, procurando mais linhas defensivas\u201d, salienta Landis, professor na Universidade de Oklahoma e casado com uma s\u00edria alauita \u2013 a minoria a que pertence Assad. \u201c\u00c9 demasiado cedo para saber se \u00e9 o princ\u00edpio do fim \u2013 embora alguns vaticinem isto. At\u00e9 aparecer um governo que administre a vasta regi\u00e3o agora ocupada, o ISIS ir\u00e1 perseverar. O governo de Bashar al-Assad n\u00e3o conseguir\u00e1 reconquistar o Leste da S\u00edria \u2013 isto \u00e9 uma certeza!\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Elmundo<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.elmundo.es\/internacional\/2015\/05\/26\/55637245268e3ef3188b4594.html\">Bashar Asad ya no se ve capaz de mantener una Siria unida<\/a><br \/>\nby LLU\u00cdS MIQUEL HURTADO<br \/>\n<strong>May 25, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u00abEl ataque de Lataquia evidencia qu\u00e9 signific\u00f3 perder Yisr al Sugur, a [s\u00f3lo] 72 Km\u00bb concluye, en un email a EL MUNDO, Joshua Landis, director del Centro de Estudios de Oriente Pr\u00f3ximo de la Universidad de Oklahoma.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The Daily Beast<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailybeast.com\/articles\/2015\/05\/22\/isis-and-the-new-army-of-conquest-in-syria-are-headed-for-a-showdown.html\">ISIS and the New &#8216;Army of Conquest&#8217; in Syria Are Headed for a Showdown<\/a><br \/>\nby Jamie Dettmer<br \/>\n<strong>May 23, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The smart move for ISIS would be to consolidate, smooth out the front lines and oust the isolated government forces left in Deir ez Zour. This is what Joshua Landis, who runs the Syria Comment blog and is a professor at the University of Oklahoma, suspects ISIS will do. \u201cDeir is presumed to be next big push,\u201d he tweeted in the hours after the fall of Palmyra.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Politiken<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/politiken.dk\/udland\/fokus_int\/fokus_IS\/ECE2674711\/vesten-bomber-men-is-fortsaetter-frem\/\">Vesten bomber, men IS forts\u00e6tter frem<\/a><br \/>\nby Marcus Rubin and Jonathan Tybjerg<br \/>\n<strong>May 19, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u00bbDer er ingen tvivl om, at erobringen af Ramadi er en stor sejr for Islamisk Stat \u2013 en meget stor sejr\u00ab, siger Joshua Landis, der er leder af Mellem\u00f8stcentret p\u00e5 Oklahoma University og har forsket i IS.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The Australian<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.theaustralian.com.au\/news\/world\/saudis-funding-sunni-army-in-syria-to-thwart-iran-and-topple-assad\/story-fnb64oi6-1227353954234\">Saudis funding Sunni army in Syria to thwart Iran and topple Assad<\/a><br \/>\nby Tom Coghlan &amp; Hugh Tomlinson<br \/>\n<strong>May 14, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cKing Salman has changed the tenor of the Middle East,\u201d said Professor Joshua Landis, director of the Centre for Middle East Studies at the University of \u00adOklahoma. \u201cHe\u2019s willing to go to war. \u00adSaudis never go to war. That has changed everything.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The Middle East Times<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.thetimes.co.uk\/tto\/news\/world\/middleeast\/article4438429.ece\">Saudis fund Sunni army to curb Iran and topple Assad<\/a> by Tom Coghlan, Hugh Tomlinson, Michael Evans and Ahmad Dawood<br \/>\n<strong>May 13, 2015<\/strong><br \/>\nAl Monitor <a href=\"http:\/\/www.al-monitor.com\/pulse\/originals\/2015\/05\/the-controversial-turkey-saudi-axis-against-damascus.html#\">The Turkey-Saudi axis against Damascus<\/a> by Cengiz \u00c7andar<br \/>\n<strong>May 12, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The loss of Jisr al-Shughur, a district of Idlib, is even more important. Joshua Landis, a Syria expert in the United States, said: \u201cThis was a big loss. It is of immense strategic value \u2014 much more so than Idlib, which was surrounded by a sea of opposition-controlled territory. Jisr guards the Ghab valley, the back door to Hama; it also stands at the entrance to Latakia, which is some 45 miles [72 kilometers] away. It is right along the Turkish border and cuts the main road from Latakia to Aleppo. The regime is making a big push to retrieve the city.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>L&#8217;Orient-Le Jour <a href=\"http:\/\/www.lorientlejour.com\/article\/924737\/vers-une-partition-a-la-yougoslave-de-la-syrie-.html\">Vers une partition \u00ab \u00e0 la yougoslave \u00bb de la Syrie ?<\/a> <strong>May 13, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>M\u00eame son de cloche pour Joshua Landis, directeur du Center for Middle East Studies et professeur \u00e0 l&#8217;Universit\u00e9 d&#8217;Oklahoma. Le sp\u00e9cialiste n&#8217;adh\u00e8re pourtant pas \u00e0 la th\u00e9orie selon laquelle Ali Mamlouk aurait engag\u00e9 des discussions secr\u00e8tes avec l&#8217;opposition et\/ou les services de renseignements turcs. \u00ab Il n&#8217;y a pas d&#8217;opposition \u00e0 proprement dite \u00e0 laquelle il peut s&#8217;adresser, et il y avait des rumeurs la semaine derni\u00e8re selon lesquelles Mamlouk \u00e9tait hospitalis\u00e9. D&#8217;ailleurs, certaines sources ont affirm\u00e9 que Ali Mamlouk s&#8217;est rendu \u00e0 son travail cette semaine comme d&#8217;habitude (&#8230;) l&#8217;Iran a toujours fait partie int\u00e9grante de la vie politique syrienne de toute fa\u00e7on. \u00bb<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Middle East Eye <a href=\"http:\/\/www.middleeasteye.net\/news\/analysis-change-fortunes-assad-government-1589633548\">ANALYSIS: A change of fortune for Assad government? <\/a> by Alex MacDonald <strong>May 12, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cOver the last 10 years one&#8217;s heard nothing but stories about how regime principals are at daggers drawn with each other, the brother-in-law&#8217;s trying to kill this one or they&#8217;re all just about to have a palace coup,\u201d Landis told Middle East Eye.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Anadolu Agency <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aa.com.tr\/en\/s\/508319--security-cooperation-iran-to-dominate-us-gcc-summit\">Security cooperation, Iran to dominate US-GCC summit<\/a> by Michael Hernandez <strong>May 12, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cThis meeting has focused a spotlight on the Iran question,\u201d said Joshua Landis, the director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma. \u201cThey\u2019re going to beat the drums and the Republican Party is going to line up behind them, and some Democrats are too. It\u2019s an effort to make a mark for the future in the presidential campaign, to shore up some support, and to show that they\u2019re a force that can\u2019t be dismissed.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The Jerusalem Post <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jpost.com\/Middle-East\/Assad-puts-intelligence-chief-under-house-arrest-for-planning-coup-402719\">Assad puts intelligence chief under house arrest for planning coup<\/a> <strong>May 11, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cReports of President Assad giving his top Alawites orders to flee Damascus are undoubtedly wishful thinking and activist fancy,\u201d Joshua Landis, a Syria expert and the director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, told The Jerusalem Post. \u201cThe regime lost an important provincial capital that was surrounded by opposition militias,\u201d said Landis. \u201cMorale has been damaged, but the regime is neither giving up the ghost nor preparing to abandon Damascus for some coastal Alawite enclave.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The Guardian <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2015\/may\/11\/house-arrest-report-syrian-security-chief-ali-mamlouk-hospital-turkish-intelligence-assad\">House arrest reports add to mystery surrounding fate of Syrian security chief<\/a> by Ian Black <strong>May 11, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cThe narrative about the top Sunnis in the regime getting cold feet about working with Persians seems too neat and too manufactured,\u201d said veteran Syria-watcher Joshua Landis. \u201cOf course, if the wheels are falling off the regime, people will try to find a way out, but it is much more likely that they will simply defect, rather than try to pull off a coup and then negotiate a deal for the regime. I am sceptical of the notion that Assad regime principals, such as Ali Mamlouk, believe that they have better options than sticking with Assad, the Iranians and the hand they have been dealt. I am sure none of them particularly like the hand they have, but reshuffling the deck now would likely bring a swift and certain end.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Voice of America<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.voanews.com\/content\/in-syria-reports-of-friction-inside-assad-regime\/2763264.html\">In Syria, Reports of Friction Inside Assad Regime<\/a><br \/>\nby Edward Yeranian<br \/>\n<strong>May 11, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Syria expert Joshua Landis, who heads the Middle East Studies Center at the University of Oklahoma, says he believes that accusations of a \u201ccoup\u201d attempt by Ali Mamlouk, as well as trying to negotiate with the Syrian opposition or friction over ties with Iran, are not plausible: \u201cOff the cuff, the allegations seem far-fetched. What would Ali Mamlouk be doing talking to the opposition? The only way the opposition wants to see or talk to Ali Mamlouk is dead. And who is he going to talk to in the opposition because the opposition is hundreds of different militias,\u201d says he. Landis also says allegations that Mamlouk had second thoughts about support from Iran were \u201cludicrous.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Hurriyet Daily News <a href=\"http:\/\/www.hurriyetdailynews.com\/is-turkey-sending-troops-to-syria.aspx?pageID=449&amp;nID=82168&amp;NewsCatID=466\">Is Turkey sending troops to Syria?<\/a> by Verda \u00d6zer <strong>May 9, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>An important security source in Ankara acknowledged that the recent rapprochement between Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar is strengthening the Syrian opposition. \u201cBefore, different countries were following different policies in the field, undermining each other\u2019s efforts. Now a partnership has emerged,\u201d he said on the phone. The reply of Joshua Landis, who is the Director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma and a leading expert of the Syrian crisis in the U.S., verifies this allegation. \u201cThese three countries have decided to fund Ahrar al-Sham and Jaysh al-Islam and are willing to close their eyes to al-Nusra\u2019s partnership with them. They probably argue that these groups will become dominant and push al-Nusra aside in the end,\u201d Landis said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The Daily Star<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.dailystar.com.lb\/News\/Middle-East\/2015\/May-08\/297211-turkey-saudi-arabia-set-aside-differences-to-act-against-assad.ashx\">Turkey, Saudi Arabia set aside differences to act against Assad<\/a><br \/>\nby Desmond Butler<br \/>\n<strong>May 08, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cIt\u2019s a different world now in Syria, because the Saudi pocketbook has opened and the Americans can\u2019t tell them not to do it,\u201d said Joshua Landis, the director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma. \u201cIt\u2019s quite clear that Salman has prioritized efforts against Iran over those against the Muslim Brotherhood.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Associated Press <a href=\"http:\/\/hosted2.ap.org\/APDEFAULT\/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305\/Article_2015-05-07-EU--Turkey-Saudi%20Arabia-Syria\/id-eab711b4ac9841268c61c345e6ced81d\">APNewsBreak: Turkey, Saudi in pact to help anti-Assad rebels<\/a> by Desmond Butler <strong>May 07, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s a different world now in Syria, because the Saudi pocketbook has opened and the Americans can&#8217;t tell them not to do it,&#8221; said Joshua Landis, the director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma. &#8220;It&#8217;s quite clear that Salman has prioritized efforts against Iran over those against the Muslim Brotherhood.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Voice of America <a href=\"http:\/\/www.voanews.com\/content\/us-facing-dilemmas-in-supporting-fragmented-syrian-opposition\/2752269.html\">US Facing Dilemmas in Supporting Fragmented Syrian Opposition<\/a> by Cecily Hilleary <strong>May 06, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cWhen we removed dictators in Iraq and Libya, we simply facilitated the rise of Al Qaida, and that\u2019s why we have supported dictators throughout the Middle East for forty years \u2014 because we don\u2019t want Islamists to take over,\u201d Joshua M. Landis, Director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma told VOA last year.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>dpa.international <a href=\"http:\/\/www.dpa-international.com\/news\/international\/analysisas-geneva-peace-discussions-start-syrian-regime-suddenly-looks-weakby-weedah-hamzah-and-pol-o-gradaigh-dpa-a-45155599.html\">Analysis: As Geneva peace discussions start, Syrian regime suddenly looks weak By Weedah Hamza and Pol O Gradaigh, dpa<\/a> <strong>May 05, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Saudi monarch King Salman, who inherited the Saudi Arabian throne in January, &#8220;has prioritized weakening Iran over weakening the Muslim Brotherhood, reversing the strategic goals of his predecessor,&#8221; Syria analyst Joshua Landis told Foreign Policy magazine.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>World Politics Review<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.worldpoliticsreview.com\/trend-lines\/15683\/syria-s-assad-looks-weaker-as-currency-slides-and-army-fractures\">Syria&#8217;s Assad Looks Weaker as Currency Slides and Army Fractures<\/a><br \/>\nby Frederick Deknatel<br \/>\n<strong>May 04, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Hafez al-Assad, Bashar\u2019s father, \u201cestablished a regime model that the son has hewed to almost precisely, with family at the top, at the most sensitive positions, and then people of known loyalty down the chain, including the wider Alawite community and other minorities, and crosscutting alliances with Sunnis,\u201d Landis told me. \u201cIf Assad were to leave, the entire Alawite power structure would collapse, because it\u2019s based on loyalty to the man. The Alawites are no more capable of uniting and finding a democratic agreement amongst themselves than are the Sunni rebels who have been notoriously fragmented and authoritarian and elitist.\u201d \u201cThey are at least 12 or 13 Alawite generals, all of whom would want power if Assad were to step aside,\u201d Landis added. \u201cAnd they would end up fighting each other, just as they did before [Hafez] Assad took power and killed all of his rivals.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>CNN <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2015\/05\/03\/world\/analysis-assad-regime-possible-trouble\/index.html\">Analysis: Syria&#8217;s al-Assad regime in trouble<\/a> by Nick Paton Walsh <strong>May 03, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Joshua Landis, associate professor in the School of International and Area Studies at the University of Oklahoma, said the change in regional postures was a result of the new King of Saudi Arabia, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, deciding that Iran was a more pressing challenge to his state than the House of Saud&#8217;s other long-term foe, the Muslim Brotherhood. &#8220;This allows him to coordinate with Turkey and Qatar taking down Assad, even if it means arming Nusra and other Islamist forces,&#8221; he said. Landis said he believes the U.S. has &#8220;acquiesced&#8221; to this new position.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The Jerusalem Post <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jpost.com\/Middle-East\/Report-Damascus-warns-Alawites-to-flee-capital-as-Syrian-forces-crumble-under-rebel-offensive-400924\">Assad hanging on, suspicion surrounds report he told Alewites to flee capital<\/a> by Ariel Ben Solomon <strong>May 03, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;Reports of President Assad giving his top Alawites orders to flee Damascus are undoubtedly wishful thinking and activist fancy,&#8221; Joshua Landis, a Syria expert and the director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday. &#8220;The regime lost an important provincial capital that was surrounded by opposition militias,&#8221; said Landis adding. &#8220;Morale has been damaged, but the regime is neither giving up the ghost nor preparing to abandon Damascus for some coastal Alawite enclave.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Voice of America <a href=\"http:\/\/www.voanews.com\/content\/syria-fluid-loyalties-in-syria-complicate-us-vet-and-train-mission\/2744707.html\">In Syria, Fluid Loyalties Complicate US Efforts<\/a> by Cecily Hilleary <strong>May 2, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Syria has been reduced to what Joshua Landis, director of the University of Oklahoma\u2019s Center for Middle East Studies calls \u201ca Darwinian jungle\u201d in which hundreds of small militias have been absorbed into larger, more powerful ones. \u201cAnd they span the ideological spectrum from al-Qaida all the way to much more secular outfits that want democracy and are looking towards the West for help,\u201d Landis said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Middle East Monitor <a href=\"https:\/\/www.middleeastmonitor.com\/articles\/inquiry\/18356-saudi-arabia-is-helping-al-qaeda-invade-syria\">Saudi Arabia is helping al-Qaeda invade Syria<\/a> by Asa Winstanley <strong>April 30, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Joshua Landis, editor of the widely-read Syria Comment blog, and Director of the University of Oklahoma&#8217;s Center for Middle East Studies told Middle East Eye this week that with this new assault, we are seeing &#8220;the King Salman effect,&#8221; referring to the new ruler of Saudi Arabia, after King Abdullah died in January. &#8220;The Saudi king has changed the priority of the kingdom. Under the previous king, the Muslim Brotherhood was the main enemy, not Iran,&#8221; Landis said. While Abdullah lived, his obsessive animus against the Brotherhood meant that it was hard to coordinate a joint war with other anti-Assad regimes who were more friendly to the Brotherhood, such as Qatar and Turkey. &#8220;But today, King Salman has clearly changed Saudi Arabia&#8217;s priorities, so that Iran and getting Iran is the most important thing and has prioritised it above attacking the Brotherhood,&#8221; said Landis.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The Christian Century <a href=\"http:\/\/www.christiancentury.org\/article\/2015-04\/violent-sorting-out\">Cover Story: A violent sorting out<\/a> Interview by Richard A. Kauffman <strong>April 30, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>With World War II there was a great sorting out in Europe. Poland was 64 percent Polish before the war, but by the end of the war it was almost 100 percent Polish. Six million Jews had already been killed in this region. Thirteen million Germans were ethnically cleansed from Central Europe in just two years, between 1945 and 1947. A third of Czechoslovakia was made up of minorities, but by the end of the war the minorities were all gone. That\u2019s the pattern in Ukraine and Hungary, too. In Yugoslavia, Tito acted as a little emperor, and he held his mosaic together with coercion, but as soon as he was swept away the nation exploded into a very brutal ethnic war and was chopped into seven countries. The same sorting out of ethnic groups has been and is happening in the Middle East. Half of Israeli citizens are Jews who came from the Middle East, where every major capital had a large Jewish neighborhood before World War I or before World War II. These Jews were caught between the hammer and anvil of Arab nationalism and Zionism. And almost every one of those Jewish neighborhoods is gone. There are a few Jews left in Morocco, Istanbul, and Iran, but the Jews in Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, and Egypt are gone.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Voice of America <a href=\"http:\/\/www.voanews.com\/content\/syrias-assad-showing-signs-of-strain-but-still-holding\/2741739.html\">Syria&#8217;s Regime Suffers Significant Military Setbacks, Analysts Say <\/a> by Cecily Hilleary <strong>April 29, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cFor now, Assad is still strong,\u201d said Joshua Landis, director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma. \u201cAssad also has advantages over the opposition &#8212; a central command, which other parties don\u2019t have, and an air force,\u201d he said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Middle East Eye <a href=\"http:\/\/www.middleeasteye.net\/news\/idlib-province-successes-syrian-rebels-could-be-game-changer-1514675698\">ANALYSIS: Syrian rebel successes in Idlib could be game changer<\/a> by Alex MacDonald <strong>April 27, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The key Ghab Valley &#8211; which stretches between Hama in the south and Alawite-majority regions in the west &#8211; is now vulnerable to infiltration, said Joshua Landis, editor of Syria Comment and director of the University of Oklahoma&#8217;s Center for Middle East Studies. \u201cIf they can penetrate into those villages, they&#8217;ll be able to surround Hama,&#8221; Landis said. Hama, he said, &#8220;has extraordinarily symbolic value, because its where the Assads pounded the Muslim Brotherhood in 1982 and killed so many people \u2013 and if they can take it, that will be a major morale booster.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The Daily Star <a href=\"http:\/\/www.dailystar.com.lb\/News\/Middle-East\/2015\/Apr-20\/295023-pro-regime-syrians-back-army-but-dodge-draft.ashx\">Pro-regime Syrians back army but dodge draft<\/a> by Maya Gebeily <strong>April 20, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Faced with a \u201cwar of attrition &#8230; the government must use considerable coercion\u201d to replenish its ranks, said Joshua Landis, director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma. \u201cThe rebels speak about being able to outlast the Alawites and kill their young men. They probably can if the war goes on long enough,\u201d Landis said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Expressen <a href=\"http:\/\/www.expressen.se\/nyheter\/experterna-om-bashar-al-assads-intervjusvar\/\">Experterna om Bashar al-Assads intervjusvar<\/a> Interview <strong>April 19, 2015<\/strong> Middle East Eye <a href=\"http:\/\/www.middleeasteye.net\/news\/analysis-hillary-clinton-wolf-sheep-s-clothing-mideast-1964556221\">ANALYSIS: Hillary Clinton a &#8216;wolf in wolf&#8217;s clothing&#8217; for Mideast?<\/a> by James Reinl <strong>April 14, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>According to Joshua Landis, a regional expert from Oklahoma University, \u201cShe didn\u2019t learn any lessons from Iraq.\u201d Clinton\u2019s interventionist tendencies and preference for old-fashioned Arab autocrats in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere would make her a \u201cstatus quo\u201d commander-in-chief. \u201cEven though she says she regretted it, she\u2019s gone off and made the exact same miscalculations a second time,\u201d Landis told MEE.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The Daily Star <a href=\"http:\/\/www.dailystar.com.lb\/News\/Middle-East\/2015\/Apr-11\/294102-us-plans-for-anti-isis-training-draw-skepticism.ashx\">U.S. plans for anti-ISIS training draw skepticism<\/a> by Desmond Butler <strong>April 11, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Joshua Landis, the director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, said that U.S. officials argue that the conflict in Syria need not be a choice between Islamists on the one side and the Syrian government on the other. They suggest there is a third way with a moderate insurgent force \u2013 but he said such rebels have such a small constituency on the ground that they would have no chance without massive support. \u201cWe are talking about arming the 2 percent,\u201d he said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Associated Press <a href=\"http:\/\/bigstory.ap.org\/article\/4cbd5dd440d14e05a58585ccc46aa12e\/us-plans-anti-islamic-state-training-drawing-skepticism\">US Plans for anti-Islamic State training drawing skepticism<\/a> by Desmond Butler <strong>April 10, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Joshua Landis, the director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, said that U.S. officials argue that the conflict in Syria need not be a choice between Islamists on the one side and the Syrian government on the other. They suggest there is a third way with a moderate insurgent force \u2014 but he said such rebels have such a small constituency on the ground that they would have no chance without massive support. &#8220;We are talking about arming the two percent,&#8221; he said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The Telegraph Online <a href=\"http:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/news\/worldnews\/middleeast\/syria\/11518232\/In-Syrias-war-Alawites-pay-heavy-price-for-loyalty-to-Bashar-al-Assad.html\">In Syria&#8217;s war, Alawites pay heavy price for loyalty to Bashar al-Assad<\/a> by Ruth Sherlock <strong>April 07, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>In their fiefdoms, the war lords are increasingly independent. The militia leaders feel able to refuse orders from commanders sent from Damascus, according to Joshua Landis, a professor of history at the University of Oklahoma who has regular contact with Syrian members of the sect.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>RT <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Ez2G6_LOfT4&amp;feature=youtu.be\">CrossTalk<\/a> The Middle East in flames: With the Saudi-led assault on Yemen this region just got a whole lot more complicated and dangerous. CrossTalking with Joshua Landis, Bill Law, and Joseph Kechichian. <strong>April 6, 2015<\/strong> Internacional <a href=\"http:\/\/internacional.elpais.com\/internacional\/2015\/04\/03\/actualidad\/1428070537_745354.html\">Los chi\u00edes reciben con alivio el avance diplom\u00e1tico iran\u00ed<\/a> by NATALIA SANCHA <strong>April 03, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>El presidente estadounidense Barack \u201cObama parece haber cerrado un acuerdo con el monarca saud\u00ed por el que \u00e9ste debe aceptar que Estados Unidos apoye a los chi\u00edes en Irak contra el Estado Isl\u00e1mico (EI) sun\u00ed. Lo que entra\u00f1a matar a sun\u00edes. Y ello a cambio de que Riad pueda bombardear a los chi\u00edes Huthis en la pen\u00ednsula Ar\u00e1biga, en Yemen\u201d, opina en una conversaci\u00f3n telef\u00f3nica Joshua Landis, director del Centro de Estudios sobre Oriente Pr\u00f3ximo de la Universidad de Oklahoma.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Daily Mail <a href=\"http:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/news\/article-3023243\/Syrian-girl-broke-internets-heart-holding-hands-surrender-photographer-fled-safe-village-taken-Al-Qaeda-fanatics-days-later.html\">Exclusive: Syrian girl who broke millions of hearts in &#8216;surrender&#8217; picture fled to &#8216;safe&#8217; city-only for it to be taken by brutal Al Qaeda<\/a> by Flora Drury <strong>April 02, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Joshua Landis, director of the Center for Middle East Studies at University of Oklahoma, was also certain Damascus would not give up without a fight. He told Bloomberg: &#8216;Assad will likely bomb Idlib so that its captors find little peace in their new prize.&#8217;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Deutsche Welle <a href=\"http:\/\/www.dw.de\/palestinian-armed-groups-reject-is-in-gaza\/a-18350920\">Palestinian armed groups reject IS in Gaza<\/a> <strong>April 02, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Joshua Landis, director of the Center for Middle East Studies at Oklahoma University, explained that Netanyahu &#8220;wants to paint his Palestinian enemy as America&#8217;s enemy, equating the two&#8221; at a time when US-Israel relations are troubled.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Voice of America <a href=\"http:\/\/www.voanews.com\/content\/islamic-state-militants-seize-part-of-damascus-yarmouk-refugee-camp\/2703027.html\">Islamic State Militants Seize Part of Damascus&#8217; Yarmouk Refugee Camp<\/a> by Edward Yeranian <strong>April 1, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>University of Oklahoma Middle East Program Director Joshua Landis tells VOA the government set-back in Yarmouk could be significant in that it follows other major government setbacks. &#8220;The importance of Yarmouk is that it raises the question of whether the end of the regime is getting closer,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Now, we are far away from that, but we have had the conquest of Busrat-al-Sham in the south, of Idlib in the north and the rebels have been making a number of inroads, recently, so to hear that ISIS and Nusra are getting into Yarmouk camp on the outskirts of Damascus is a reason for caution about the strength of the regime.&#8221; Landis also points out a bus carrying pro-government women fighters was ambushed by rebel forces outside of Damascus, killing and wounding dozens. He argues \u201cthe battle is becoming more and more desperate for the regime,\u201d which is \u201crecruiting women on a larger and larger scale,\u201d as well as using foreign militiamen from both Lebanon and Iraq.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Bloomberg <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2015-03-29\/syrian-islamist-rebels-deal-blow-to-assad-with-capture-of-idlib\">Syrian Islamist Rebels Deal Blow to Assad Capturing Idlib<\/a> by Nafeesa Syeed <strong>March 29, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cAssad will likely bomb Idlib so that its captors find little peace in their new prize,\u201d said Joshua Landis, director of the Center for Middle East Studies at University of Oklahoma.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Voice of America <a href=\"http:\/\/www.voanews.com\/content\/opinion-fourth-arab-country-melts-down\/2694231.html\">Opinion: A Fourth Arab Country Melts Down<\/a> by Barbara Slavin <strong>March 25, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>No one knows at this point whether Libya, Syria, Iraq and Yemen will hold together, remain unified in name only or splinter into ethnic and tribal fiefdoms. Middle East scholar Joshua Landis has compared the region to Central Europe, where there was a \u201cgreat sorting out\u201d of linguistic and ethnic groups between World Wars I and II.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>New Republic <a href=\"http:\/\/www.newrepublic.com\/article\/121300\/us-should-arm-kurds-fighting-isis?utm_content=buffereabaa&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter.com&amp;utm_campaign=buffer\">One Group Has Proven It Can Beat ISIS. So Why Isn&#8217;t the U.S. Doing More to Help Them? <\/a> By Joel Gillin <strong>March 20, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cMany U.S. military analysts warn not to arm up the Peshmerga too much or Kirkuk and other hotspots of mixed ethnicity will be overrun by Kurds, causing greater problems down the road. The same logic goes for Syria,\u201d Landis said. \u201cThe Kurds can take back Kurdish regions, such as Kobani, which ISIS took over, but they should not be used to extend Kurdish rule beyond the traditional Kurdish towns.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The National <a href=\"http:\/\/www.pressreader.com\/uae\/the-national-news\/20150319\/281784217577954\/TextView\">US fuels questions on its Syria strategy<\/a> <strong>March 19, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;American policy for the past four years has been to contain the violence in Syria, and that&#8217;s what we&#8217;re doing today,&#8221; said Joshua Landis, director of the centre for Middle East studies at the University of Oklahoma. &#8220;That&#8217;s the least politically damaging for Obama and the least expensive.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The Daily Star <a href=\"http:\/\/dailystar.com.lb\/News\/Middle-East\/2015\/Mar-17\/291051-kerry-comments-mark-lack-of-policy.ashx\">Kerry comments mark lack of policy<\/a> by Marlin Dick <strong>March 17, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Joshua Landis, head of the Middle East Center at the University of Oklahoma, told The Daily Star that while Kerry\u2019s remarks were quickly walked back by the State Department, the U.S. continued to face a serious problem with its Syria policy. \u201cTheir moderate rebel groups have been destroyed in the north of Syria and are weak in the south,\u201d Landis said. \u201cThe U.S. has no partners in Syria, except the Kurds in the north, who are small in numbers and opposed by our allies, the Turks. They cannot take on ISIS except for around Kurdish enclaves.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>My Journal Courier <a href=\"http:\/\/www.myjournalcourier.com\/news\/home_top-news\/152389786\/Syrian-conflict-like-many-other-wars-speaker-says\">Syrian conflict like many other wars, speaker says<\/a> by Samantha McDaniel-Ogletree March 17, 2015<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The closely watched Syrian conflict is unique in many ways, though it also is following a pattern of wars from throughout history \u2014 including the U.S. Civil War. That\u2019s according to Middle East expert Joshua Landis, director of the Center for Middle East Studies and an associate professor at the University of Oklahoma. He visited Illinois College on Monday to provide a fundamental background into the overseas conflict. He said the war is about separating religious territories.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Voice of America <a href=\"http:\/\/www.voanews.com\/content\/war-leaves-syria-dark-images-show\/2678510.html\">War Has Left Syria in the Dark, Images Show<\/a> by Idrees Ali <strong>March 12, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cIt shows how terribly destroyed Syria is and how poor it is,\u201d said Joshua Landis, director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The Oklahoman <a href=\"http:\/\/newsok.com\/university-of-oklahoma-professor-has-his-eyes-on-islamic-state\/article\/5399461\">University of Oklahoma professor has his eyes on Islamic State<\/a> by Adam Kemp <strong>March 10, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Joshua Landis, director of the University of Oklahoma\u2019s Center for Middle East Studies, has become a go-to source for many around the world when it comes to issues in Syria and other parts of the region.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Al Jazeera <a href=\"http:\/\/america.aljazeera.com\/watch\/shows\/live-news\/articles\/2015\/3\/9\/this-week-marks-four-year-since-start-of-uprising-in-syria.html\">This week marks four year since start of uprising in Syria<\/a> by Sara Hassan <strong>March 09, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Landis said, \u201cThe effort to build the rebel movement into a cohesive and unified front has failed almost entirely.&#8221; Initially, the United States funded armed groups to weaken Assad\u2019s regime, many members of which have now joined groups like ISIL. \u201cAmerica has really turned,\u201d said Landis, \u201calmost 180 degrees from being an enemy of Assad, sanctioning and weakening him, to today bombing many of his opponents and in a sense adopting Assad as a strategic ally, even though they will not work with him directly.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>ABC.net <a href=\"http:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/radionational\/programs\/betweenthelines\/should-the-west-intervene-in-syriae28099s-civil-war3f\/6278074\">Should the West intervene in Syria&#8217;s civil war?<\/a> <strong>March 05, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Two of the world&#8217;s leading experts on Syria, Joshua Landis and Kenneth Pollack, discuss the prospect for this artificial state and ethnically divided society.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>AlJazeera English <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=OD_A3CHzvjQ\">People &amp; Power-Western Jihadis in Syria<\/a> <strong>March 04, 2015<\/strong> ABC <a href=\"http:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/radionational\/programs\/betweenthelines\/a-primer-on-the-complex-war-in-syria\/6279412\">A primer on the complex war in Syria<\/a> by Tom Switzer <strong>March 04, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Listen to the full episode of Between the Lines to hear Tom Switzer host a discussion about Syria with Kenneth Pollack of the Brookings Institution and Joshua Landis of the University of Oklahoma.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Press TV <a href=\"http:\/\/www.presstv.ir\/Detail\/2015\/03\/02\/399834\/Republicans-want-American-Jews-money\">Republicans support Netanyahu speech to win American Jew&#8217;s support: Analyst<\/a> <strong>March 02, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cIn many ways, the Republicans are trying to win the Jewish vote and Jewish backing,\u201d Joshua Landis, associate professor and director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, told Press TV on Sunday. Landis made the remarks while commenting on a speech by Senator Lindsey Graham at the annual American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) policy conference on Sunday.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The New York Times <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2015\/02\/15\/opinion\/sunday\/nicholas-kristof-unpaid-unarmed-lifesavers-in-syria.html\">Unpaid, Unarmed Lifesavers in Syria<\/a> Nicholas Kristof <strong>February 14, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cThey have been doing extraordinary work in a terrible situation,\u201d notes Joshua Landis, a Syria expert at the University of Oklahoma in Norman.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Foreign Policy <a href=\"http:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2015\/02\/12\/in-syria-the-enemy-of-an-enemy-is-still-an-enemy\/\">In Syria, the Enemy of an Enemy Is Still an Enemy<\/a> by Colum Lynch <strong>February 12, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Joshua Landis, the director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, said that early hopes that the rise of the Islamic State could bring the moderate opposition together with regime elements have largely been dashed. That hope, he said, was \u201cfounded on the misconception built into all our peace-making efforts: That we can get an interim regime that is based on a political solution. It\u2019s not going to happen. Assad has made it very clear he is perfectly happy to rule over a smaller part of Syria than to make any compromises. He has a system in place that works for him.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Here &amp; Now <a href=\"http:\/\/hereandnow.wbur.org\/2015\/02\/10\/assad-syria-airstrikes\">Assad: Syria Getting Word From U.S.-Led Coalition About Airstrikes<\/a> by Robin Young <strong>February 10, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Joshua Landis, director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, discusses the Syrian president\u2019s BBC interview with Here &amp; Now\u2019s Robin Young.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The McCain Institute for International Leadership <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mccaininstitute.org\/events\/past\/mccain-debate-and-decision-series2\">Syria: Should the United States Save Syria? <\/a> <strong>January 30, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>A distinguished group of debaters tackle the topic during a live debate.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Middle East Eye <a href=\"http:\/\/www.middleeasteye.net\/news\/analysis-obama-signals-retreat-mideast-annual-state-speech-477588202\">Analysis: Obama speech signals retreat from Mideast<\/a> by James Reinl <strong>January 21, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cThis speech was about the middle class, not the Middle East,\u201d Joshua Landis, a University of Oklahoma professor, told Middle East Eye. \u201cObama\u2019s narrative was one of strength at home, leading by example and being part of international coalitions. \u201cHe was at pains to avoid talking about the Middle East \u2013 and that\u2019s smart.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>PRI <a href=\"http:\/\/www.pri.org\/stories\/2015-01-05\/oil-prices-have-collapsed-oil-rich-isis-still-black\">Oil prices have collapsed, but oil-rich ISIS says it&#8217;s still in the black<\/a> Producer Shirin Jaafari <strong>January 05, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;Most of the projections back in September were that ISIS was making between one and three million dollars a day,&#8221; says Landis, the director of the Center for Middle East Studies at Oklahoma University. &#8220;[That] adds up to about a billion dollars in a year \u2014 and here it is, two billion. Double that.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Australian Broadcasting Company-ABC <a href=\"http:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/radionational\/programs\/breakfast\/syrian-conflict-claims-76000-lives-in-2014\/5999786\">Syrian conflict claims 76,000 lives in 2014 <\/a>host Jonathan Green <strong>January 5, 2015<\/strong> dpa-International <a href=\"http:\/\/dpa-international.com\/news\/international\/syrian-opposition-alliance-elects-new-leader-close-to-turkey-a-43781459.html\">Syrian opposition alliance elects new leader close to Turkey<\/a> <strong>January 05, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>According to Syria analyst Joshua Landis of the University of Oklahoma, non-jihadist rebels control only about 5 per cent of Syrian territory. Even those forces include many hardline Islamists who do not recognize the National Coalition.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The Telegraph<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/news\/worldnews\/middleeast\/syria\/11323109\/Dispatch-Syria-rebels-burned-down-churches-and-destroyed-Christian-graves.html\">Dispatch: Syria rebels &#8216;burned down churches and destroyed Christian graves&#8217;<\/a> by Ruth Sherlock, Kessab <strong>January 3, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Joshua Landis, an expert on the conflict, estimates that non-Islamist rebels now control less than 5 per cent of Syria, with the rest of the country divided between the regime, Isil or Jabhat al-Nusra.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>CNN <a href=\"http:\/\/edition.cnn.com\/2014\/12\/31\/world\/lister-2015-predictions\/index.html?eref=edition\">What (not) to look forward to in 2015: ISIS, life on Mars, Europe&#8217;s mood<\/a> by Tim Lister <strong>January 1, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Joshua Landis, a longtime Syria watcher at the University of Oklahoma, says &#8220;The Somalia-izaton of the country is inevitable so long as the international community degrades all centers of power in Syria and the opposition fails to unite.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>EL PA\u00cdS <a href=\"http:\/\/internacional.elpais.com\/internacional\/2015\/01\/01\/actualidad\/1420141375_174816.html\">El Asad se afianza en Siria beneficiado por el auge yihadista<\/a> by Natalia Sancha <strong>January 1, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cSiria entra en una guerra de desgaste donde ning\u00fan actor interno es suficientemente fuerte para ganar. Se anticipa una guerra perpetua. El r\u00e9gimen de El Asad cuenta con un n\u00facleo reducido y brutal que no va a dejar que nadie, ni Rusia ni EE UU, imponga un l\u00edder alternativo. Su mayor baza es la del discurso sectario para mantener la unidad de su Gobierno. Los militares y alau\u00edes saben que de dividirse, la oposici\u00f3n sun\u00ed se unir\u00e1 para reemplazarles. Tenemos por delante una d\u00e9cada de inestabilidad\u201d, pronostica Joshua Landis, director del Centro de Estudios sobre Oriente Pr\u00f3ximo de la Universidad de Oklahoma, en una entrevista telef\u00f3nica.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>WCVB Boston&#8217;s News Leader <a href=\"http:\/\/www.wcvb.com\/national\/what-not-to-look-forward-to-in-2015\/30474274\">What Lies ahead in 2015? ISIS, Crimea, oil prices, hot topics of 2014 <\/a><b>In the News:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul class=\"news_archive_list\">\n<li>Browse Archive By Year<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/landis-news\/\">Current<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/landis-news\/landis-news-2018\/\">2018<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/landis-news\/landis-news-2017\/\">2017<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/landis-news\/landis-news-2016\/\">2016<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a class=\"active\" href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/landis-news\/landis-news-2015\/\">2015<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/landis-news\/landis-news-2014\/\">2014<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/landis-news\/landis-news-2013\/\">2013<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/landis-news\/landis-news-2012\/\">2012<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/landis-news\/landis-news-2011\/\">2011<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/landis-news\/landis-news-2010\/\">2010<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/landis-news\/landis-news-2009\/\">2009<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/landis-news\/landis-news-2008\/\">2008<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/landis-news\/landis-news-2007\/\">2007<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/landis-news\/landis-news-2006\/\">2006<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/landis-news\/landis-news-2005\/\">2005<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/landis-news\/landis-news-2004\/\">2004<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Browse Archive By Year Current 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 The Washington Times Obama yields to Russia and Iran, puts Assad ouster on back burner December 21, 2015 by Guy Taylor The calculation that the White House has made is that working with Assad [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":35,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"sfsi_plus_gutenberg_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_show_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_type":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_alignemt":"","sfsi_plus_gutenburg_max_per_row":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-23382","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.8.1 - 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