BAU Holds Safe Zone Panel in the US Capital

At the panel organized in partnership between Washington-based BAU International University and the nonpartisan think tank Global Policy Institute, experts discussed the safe humanitarian zones planned to be established in Syria.

BAU International University, which operates in the US capital under the BAU Global umbrella, and the Washington-based nonpartisan and independent think tank Global Policy Institute (GPI) brought together leading experts in Washington to discuss the increasingly debated issue of "humanitarian safe zones in Syria" .

"Establishing Humanitarian Safe Zones in Syria: How and Where to Start?" The speakers at the event titled above included Joseph Schmitz, national security advisor to US President Donald Trump during his election campaign; FOX News security expert and retired general Thomas McInerney; American Foreign Policy Council Vice President Ilan Berman ; and Bahçeşehir University American Studies Center (AMERS) Director Burak Küntay . The discussion was moderated by BAU International University Vice President and foreign policy advisor to US President Donald Trump during his election campaign Walid Phares .

The opening speeches of the event were delivered by GPI President Paolo von Schirach and BAU International University President Sinem Vatanartıran .

The first speaker of the panel, Joseph Schmitz, spoke about past US experiences with safe zones and stressed the importance of cooperating with local forces to find a solution to the crisis. Explaining that the Trump administration was working on a strategic safe zone plan, Schmitz said he believed that the US would find common ground with its allies in the region, Türkiye in particular.

Retired US Air Force General Thomas McInerneystated that it was possible to establish a safe zone in northern Syria, underlining that first of all, all actors in the region must want it. McInerney also said that, should a safe zone be established, a serious military control system would need to be set up both on the ground and in the air to ensure its security.

In his speech at the panel, foreign policy expert Ilan Bermandrew attention to Russia's reservations about establishing a safe zone in Syria. Explaining that Moscow was concerned these zones could become a platform for regime change in Syria, Berman stated that it would be difficult to make progress on this issue unless these concerns were addressed and certain guarantees were given regarding Russia's influence in the region. Adding that the positions of Iran and Türkiye would also be decisive on the safe zone issue, Berman said it would be difficult to reach a meaningful result without agreeing on a joint action plan.

The last speaker of the panel, Bahçeşehir University American Studies Center (AMERS) Director Burak Küntay, emphasized the need to take action as soon as possible to end the war in Syria. Küntay continued: "With Geneva 1-2-3, Munich and Astana, we keep talking, but people are dying in Syria every day. Talking does not save these people. In addition, millions of people are trying to live in countries of the region, far from their homes. We have to establish a safe zone in Syria. Moreover, this zone has to include Manbij. The presence of a terrorist organization such as the PYD-YPG there does not change anything. As Türkiye, we expect our ally, the US, to stand in solidarity with us on this issue. However, if we do not see this solidarity, we will clear that area ourselves; we have to. It is not right to rely on one terrorist organization to eliminate another."

Moderator of the event, BAU International University Vice President and foreign policy advisor to US President Donald Trump during his election campaign Walid Phares , stated that the US administration should bring the safe zone issue before the American public and open it to discussion, underlining that the issue was of critical importance not only for ending the war but also for the security of the region and Europe.

The panel, held at BAU International University's main campus in Washington, attracted great interest from embassies of various countries, think tanks, universities and the international press.

The issue of safe humanitarian zones, long voiced by Türkiye and recently brought up for discussion by the Trump administration together with the Gulf countries to end the war in Syria and find a remedy for the humanitarian crisis, is of critical importance for enabling millions of Syrians who were forced to leave their homes to return to their country.

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