Policy paper „Foreign Intervention and Local Dynamics in Northeastern Syria: Turkey, the United States, Iran, and the SDF“

Date of publication: February 9, 2026

Research interns Mahi Farman and Anežka Petráková from the Prague Center for Middle East Relations (PCMR) at CEVRO University have published a policy paper entitled „Foreign Intervention and Local Dynamics in Northeastern Syria: Turkey, the United States, Iran, and the SDF“.

The paper analyzes the influence of primarily foreign actors on developments in northeastern Syria and on the main armed forces operating in the region, particularly the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), after 2019. Special attention is given to Turkey, the United States, and Iran, and their relations with the SDF and Arab tribes operating in the Deir ez-Zor province.

Following the fall of the Islamic State (ISIS) caliphate, the position and significance of the SDF changed not only within the region but also in the context of international alliances. The SDF have long served as one of the main allies of the US-led international coalition in the fight against ISIS. Northeastern Syria has been under pressure from the expanding influence and power of Iran and its proxies, who sought to gain influence and alliances in the Deir ez-Zor province, as well as from Turkey and its proxy, the Syrian National Army (SNA), and the United States, which continues to maintain its presence in the region. Following the change of the Syrian regime at the end of 2024, the dynamics have shifted, yet the influence of foreign actors in the region continues to persist.

The paper also builds on previous work by our interns titled “Mapping Regional Armed Actors and Alliances in Northeastern Syria (2019–2025),” available on our website.