This report documents the experiences of approximately 100 children who have been repatriated or returned to France, Germany, Kazakhstan, the Netherlands, Sweden, the United Kingdom and Uzbekistan between 2019 and 2022.

This report reveals that, contrary to the Turkish authorities’ claims that they do not deport anyone to Syria, in mid-2019 it is likely that hundreds of Syrian refugees across Turkey were swept up, detained, and transported against their will to one of the world’s most...

Throughout the conflict in Syria, the government has severely restricted how and where aid is delivered for military or political purposes. This paper offers a new framework for international humanitarian organizations and UN agencies to provide assistance to those in need.

This Evidence Check was commissioned by the NSW Ministry of Health to provide a summary of evidence from Australia and other countries related to the effectiveness and appropriateness of community-based psychosocial support services and programs for refugees and asylum seekers.

This paper provides a summary of Australia’s military operations in Syria and an overview of key associated issues, particularly those relevant to the Parliament. Many of these matters are also relevant to the conduct of operations in Iraq, but this paper does not specifically address...

This report documents how hundreds of civilians have been killed and injured since an offensive began in June (2017) to recapture Raqqa, the 'capital' and main stronghold of the armed group, Islamic State (IS).

At Saydnaya Military Prison, the Syrian authorities have quietly and methodically organized the killing of thousands of people in their custody. Amnesty International’s research shows that the murder, torture, enforced disappearance and extermination, carried out at Saydnaya since 2011, has been perpetrated as part of...

Turkey, Syria and Iraq depend on the Tigris-Euphrates river system for their food and water security. Both rivers have contributed to interstate tension and hostility, and the region is yet to agree on a water-sharing mechanism that could lead to more amicable relations.

Amid all the debate about what the West should or shouldn't do about the Syrian civil war, few if any commentators acknowledge the reality that the political outcome in Syria matters more to regional states than it does to the West.

Independent federal MP Andrew Wilkie claims "it is illegal for Australia to bomb in Syria" because governments can't bomb a sovereign state which poses no threat to other countries.

This briefing explores the evolving relationship between media and politics in the period following the Arab uprisings of 2011. Overview: Over the past several years, the Arab world has been characterised by an increasingly polarised political discourse. ‘After the Arab uprisings: the prospects for a...

For a world that promised 'Never Again' after World War II, how much have we actually learned from the handling of refugee crises of the past? Are we making the same mistakes over and over again? This discussion was first broadcast on Radio National.

Foreign policy is typically a blandly bipartisan affair in liberal democracies like Australia and the United States. Although different slogans are employed by left and right, major political parties support broadly liberal foreign policy goals. Both sides of politics want to preserve peace and national...

“I am an anthropologist. Anthropologists, as a group, study the diversity of human cultures to understand our commonalities and differences, and to use the knowledge of what is common to us all to help us bridge our differences. My research aims to help reduce violence...

In this analysis, Andrew Zammit argues that Australians fighting in Iraq and Syria pose a threat to Australia’s security and examines the options for responding to that threat, including through non-coercive means. Key Findings Australian foreign fighters in Syria and Iraq pose a serious national...

Overview: This report is the first publication from a continuing, open-source study of the coalition campaign against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). With Australian blood and treasure committed to the efforts of the coalition, it is important for ASPI to provide...

The UN refugee agency annual statistics show that more than 51 million people were forcibly displaced at the end of 2013, the largest number since the end of World War II. Half of the world's refugees in 2013 were children. UNHCR's annual Global Trends report...

Syrian president Bashar al-Assad claims sarin is a primitive gas that can be made in a backyard, and could have been used by rebels in the suspected chemical attack in Damascus on August 2013.