Publication

This paper contends that as the US plans to draw down its military footprint and the Middle East, the West could leverage China's increasing regional role and financial wherewithal for the purposes of Syrian stabilization efforts. For instance, by encouraging coalition partners to support the Syrian Democratic Force’s anti-ISIS campaign in Syria, coupled with China’s economic investment for post-war reconstruction via the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the US could reduce its military posture in Syria without leaving a vacuum for ISIS to fill. This could also usher in a new era of Sino-US cooperation, and a geopolitical realignment in the Middle East that could further order and stability.