U.S. Intervention in Syria

This chapter analyzes the U.S. intervention in Syria as a case of great-power involvement characterized by both expansion and denial. It argues that Washington initially framed the conflict as an opportunity to remove the Assad regime and expand influence, but progressively balanced that goal with efforts to block a rival’s gains once Russia deepened its military role. The chapter clarifies what counts as “direct” intervention, deployed personnel, persistent kinetic operations, and on-the-ground basing, and shows that the United States met this threshold while partnering with the Syrian Democratic Forces and sustaining air and artillery campaigns against the Islamic State. It then evaluates the humanitarian justification, contrasting official statements with patterns of material support, target selection, and positional control in northeastern Syria. The evidence indicates a mixed strategy: counterterrorism and limited punishment for chemical-weapons use, alongside measures that entrenched a U.S. sphere of influence and restricted its adversaries. The analysis contributes to debates on why great powers intervene and how their interests evolve once rivals intervene in turn.