A Tale of Four Augusts

The Syrian conflict that began as a revolution quickly descended into a major humanitarian disaster with the Assad regime's increasing use of force and the militarization of the dispute between the regime and the opposition. The country is witnessing a gloomy reality on the ground and there is little evidence to suggest any breakthrough in the near future. The ever-growing death toll, thousands of documented cases of war crimes and systematic torture, the use of weapons of mass destruction and the rise of radical groups have all failed to stir a robust American response. This report provides a synopsis of the past four years of U.S. policy in Syria. It brings together the major turning points of this policy since the beginning of the Arab Spring.