SyriaSource
SyriaSource followed the dynamics in Syria through in-depth analysis of the impact of the conflict on Syria, its neighbors and the international community. Amplifying a diverse range of Syrian and regional voices—to reach both English—and Arabic-speaking audiences, SyriaSource transforms their words from strong but distant ideas to resounding perspectives not often heard among Washington and international policymakers. For the latest work on Syria, please visit MENASource.
The Latest on Syria
Mon, Jan 11, 2021
The Assad regime faces a Rubik’s Cube of challenges in 2021
The coming year will likely present the Bashar al-Assad regime with a perplexing stalemate as it attempts to navigate a political, economic, and security landscape beset with a Rubik’s Cube of challenges.
MENASource by Nizar Mohamad and Abdulrahman al-Masri
Wed, Dec 23, 2020
Five decades of Baathism survived because of nationalism
Implicit in understanding the role of nationalism in maintaining the Assad regime’s survival is exploring the extent to which this ideology has given support to it.
MENASource by Rahaf Aldoughli
Mon, Dec 14, 2020
Russian aid in Syria: An underestimated instrument of soft power
Free from needing outside help by the international community, Russia’s self-sufficient aid ecosystem undermines, devalues, and rivals UN-led efforts in Syria, threatens to erode trust in the wider aid system, and provides a dangerous alternative narrative about the humanitarian environment in Syria for the Bashar al-Assad regime.
MENASource by Jonathan Robinson
Thu, Dec 10, 2020
Pity the nation: Assessing a half century of Assadist rule
The Syrian uprising is a more damning referendum on the Assad family legacy than any judgement that might be rendered by outsiders.
MENASource by Steven Heydemann
Thu, Dec 3, 2020
Limited and constrained: The Biden administration and the prospects of a Syria policy
While any departure from the Trump administration’s transactional and inconsistent leadership is welcomed, the hopes surrounding the incoming Biden administration’s return to engagement in Syria requires more in-depth scrutiny.
MENASource by Abdulrahman al-Masri
Tue, Dec 1, 2020
2021 budget reveals the depth of Syria’s economic woes
Unless a political settlement is reached and the sanctions are lifted to enable reconstruction, the economy of regime-held Syria will continue to struggle.
MENASource by William Christou and Karam Shaar
Mon, Nov 16, 2020
ICMP report highlights need to launch missing persons process for Syria
While the present Syrian government is unlikely to cooperate, much can be done in the short and medium term to lay the groundwork for a sustainable and credible process. Finding more than 130,000 missing persons will require investigations across Syria and beyond.
MENASource by Kathryne Bomberger
Thu, Nov 5, 2020
Factbox: Iranian influence and presence in Syria
This factbox presents a limited summary of Iran’s military and security power in Syria, revealing the extent of its sway over Syrian society and its economy.
MENASource by Navvar Saban
Mon, Oct 26, 2020
Will US troops actually leave Syria in exchange for hostages?
While the talks between Washington and the Bashar al-Assad regime may be in its early stages, Donald Trump may want to secure some pre-election victories by securing the release of hostages and the return of soldiers.
MENASource by Abdulrahman al-Masri
Tue, Oct 6, 2020
I survived Assad’s torture—here’s why I’m a proud advocate of the Caesar Act
The Caesar Act is not the solution, but an important tool that the US and the international community must use alongside others to end the killing in my homeland.
MENASource by Omar Alshogre
Content
Wed, Jan 29, 2020
The uncounted: Life after war for Syria’s living martyrs
For all Syrians, honoring the men who died fighting for their side’s cause is a central social event. But while martyrs are immortalized in life-sized posters on every street corner, wounded fighters, known as “living martyrs,” risk becoming outcasts in their communities.
SyriaSource by Gregory Waters
Tue, Dec 24, 2019
The relentless assault on Idlib
The relentless airstrikes campaign on Idlib by the Syrian regime and Russia air forces predicted by many analysts, including this author, remains a defining battlefield to the regime in the Syrian conflict, nine years later. Seen as a last opposition stronghold populated by extremists and a millions of civilians and internally displaced people (IDP), Idlib province and its surroundings are a deadly place.
SyriaSource by Reema Hibrawi
Tue, Dec 24, 2019
Looking back at 2019: Our top five blogs
It was an especially bleak year for Syria as displacement across the country continued especially in Idlib province. Below are our top five blogs in 2019 that touched on these important issues that captured the attention of our readers.
SyriaSource by Reema Hibrawi
Wed, Dec 18, 2019
Hof’s analysis of Susan Rice’s Syria comments
Former national security advisor, Susan Rice, recently wrote an op-ed lamenting the lack of options in solving the Syrian crisis, much like Samantha Powers, however, their arguments do not hold up against scrutiny.
SyriaSource by Frederic C. Hof
Tue, Dec 10, 2019
Life after war: The impact of conflict on Syrian artists
After a scrawled graffiti message in Daraa, Syrian artists began to express themselves more than they ever could since the Assad family took power. Revolutionary art exploded on to the global scene during the Arab Spring. Particularly in Syria, artists, writers, and filmmakers found a new voice, free of fear. Defiance, grief, and frustration were […]
SyriaSource by Natasha Hall
Fri, Dec 6, 2019
Reconstruction and security sector reform in Syria must go hand in hand
The structure and characteristics of the pre-conflict Syrian security sector contributed heavily to the outbreak of the Syrian civil war; for decades, it stood for corruption, discrimination, violent repression, and large-scale human rights abuses. When the Arab Spring began to unfold in Egypt and Tunisia in early 2011, a group of Syrian school boys got […]
SyriaSource by Nora-Elise Beck and Lars Döbert
Mon, Nov 18, 2019
After the Syria withdrawal, it’s time the US rethinks the use of proxy forces
Proxy warfare is a 21st century military playbook utilized by great powers, like Russia, and the United States with some using it better than others.
SyriaSource by Mona Alami
Fri, Nov 8, 2019
The death of Baghdadi: How ISIS used al-Qaeda’s mistakes to grow a caliphate
Optimistic predictions about the end of the Islamic State (ISIS) surged in the wake of US President Donald Trump’s October 27 press conference announcing the death of the ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, but prove misguided in the long term. The threat posed by ISIS remains high, particularly outside the para-state’s previously held territories in […]
SyriaSource by Amanda E. Rogers
Thu, Nov 7, 2019
Journalists in northeast Syria fear the return of state security services
US President Donald Trump’s decision in early October to withdraw American troops from the Syria-Turkey border put the US’s local partner in the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS, Daesh), the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), in an unenviable position. Faced with an offensive by Turkey, NATO’s second largest military, the SDF struck a deal with […]
SyriaSource by Dan Wilkofsky
Wed, Oct 23, 2019
What the Turkish-Russian deal in Syria means for Vladimir Putin
The Kremlin stands to reap significant rewards from its agreement with Turkey on Syria.
SyriaSource by Frederic C. Hof