Aaron Stein is Director of the Middle East Program at the Foreign Policy Research Institute in Philadelphia in the U.S. Previously, he was Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council and Fellow at both the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) in London and the Geneva Center for Security Policy (GCSP) in Geneva. He is the author of Turkey's New Foreign Policy: Davutoglu, the AKP and the Pursuit of Regional Order and has published in the peer-reviewed journals Survival: Global Politics and Strategy, Insight Turkey, and The Journal of Strategic Security.
""Through extensive interviews, Stein provides a fascinating insider’s account of the US war against ISIS. The contradictions inherent in US policy towards Syria, together with the diplomatic and military complexity of the war, are laid bare in impressive detail."" * Jacob Eriksson, University of York, UK * “A Very American War” paints a vivid picture of the advantages and limitations of operating by, with, and though local actors. It demonstrates how decisions taken to meet short-term, tactical objectives – in this case the U.S. decision work with the YPG to defeat ISIS – can have enduring strategic consequences.” * Rachel Ellehuus, Center for Strategic & International Studies, USA *