Gravatt Strategic Analysis

Analyzing Conflict, Policy, and Power

Gravatt Strategic Analysis is an independent, student-run research platform dedicated to producing structured, evidence-based analysis on U.S. foreign policy, Middle East security dynamics, and counterterrorism strategy

Through policy briefs, conflict assessments, and strategic commentary, GSA aims to contribute to informed dialogue on emerging security challenges in the Middle East and beyond.

Research-Driven, Historically Grounded Perspectives on Conflict, Security, & Policy

Publications by Evan Gravatt

Managing Foreign Jihadist Fighters in Post-Assad Syria: Evaluating U.S. Counterterrorism Policy Options

April 23, 2026. Abstract: This study analyzes the growing problem of foreign fighters in Syria and assesses the challenges they pose to U.S. counterterrorism objectives, regional stability, and…
Jihadists Threaten Stability in post-Assad Syria

March 23, 2026. In early March 2025, clashes broke out between Assad loyalists and Syrian security forces in the coastal region of Latakia. However, after initially beginning as…
Analyzing the December 2025 Terrorist Attack in Palmyra, Syria

March 16, 2026. On December 19, 2025, the United States military began Operation Hawkeye Strike, a series of large-scale airstrikes against ISIS weapons sites and infrastructure in Syria.…
Sharaa’s Foreign Fighter Problem

March 9, 2026. On May 14, 2025, President Trump met with Syrian de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa in Riyadh. At the meeting, Trump urged Sharaa to “sign onto…
ISIS Threatens Syria’s President, Calls for Attacks on the West.

February 23, 2026. Syria’s president, Ahmed al-Sharaa has come under recent fire by ISIS’s media and propaganda wing. The group called Sharaa a “puppet without a soul” controlled…
Syria Attends Anti-ISIS Coalition Meeting

February 15, 2026. In a move reflecting evolving regional dynamics, the Damascus government recently joined the U.S-led coalition to combat ISIS. The Syrian government became the 90th member in…
Syria’s Ahmed al-Sharaa Meets with Putin for Second Visit

February 3, 2026. Ahmed al-Sharaa, former leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and Syria’s al-Qaeda branch, assumed power late in 2024 after ousting Bashar al-Assad. Fourteen months later on,…
Clashes in Syria Threaten ISIS Prisons and U.S Strategy

January 25, 2026. Recent clashes between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Syrian government have disrupted operations and security at prisons holding ISIS fighters in northeastern Syria.…
Fragile Integration: The SDF, State Consolidation, and U.S. Counter-ISIS Strategy in Post-Assad Syria

January 19, 2026. Aleppo Escalation and the Failure of Integration The January 6 clashes in Aleppo’s Sheikh Maqsoud and Achrafieh neighborhoods marked the most serious confrontation between Syrian…
Intelligence Failure: The 1998 Indian Nuclear Tests

November 13, 2025. The United States Intelligence Community failed to provide advance warning of India’s 1998 nuclear tests at Pokhran. Weak HUMINT collection, analytical bias, organizational flaws, and…

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About Me

Evan Gravatt is a political science student at the University of Mary Washington pursuing a B.A. in Political Science with a minor in Security and Conflict Studies. His research focuses on Middle East security, counterterrorism, regional power dynamics, and U.S. foreign policy. He founded Gravatt Strategic Analysis to publish structured, policy-relevant analysis on evolving conflict dynamics.