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.

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The latest on Syria


MENASource

Aug 8, 2025

Sweida’s humanitarian crisis presents a test for Syria’s transitional government and its global partners

By
Diana Rayes 

Sweida is not an isolated tragedy—it is a litmus test for Syria’s fragile political transition and for the international community’s resolve to respond to the unfolding humanitarian crisis.

Conflict
Economy & Business


MENASource

Jul 30, 2025

After Swaida: How Syria’s periphery is shaping its future

By
Ibrahim Al-Assil

What comes next in Syria will not be determined by battlefield victories or summit declarations, but by the evolving realities on the ground.

Conflict
Democratic Transitions


MENASource

Jul 24, 2025

In a sectarian Syria, the winners should refrain from taking all

By
Marie Forestier 

To avoid the complete supremacy of HTS-supporting Sunnis, it is crucial to adopt power-sharing mechanisms ensuring inclusiveness

Democratic Transitions
International Norms


MENASource

Jul 22, 2025

Why the violence in my hometown, Swaida, goes beyond ‘rivalry.’

By
Majd AlGhatrif

US officials described the events as “a rivalry” between Syria’s Druze and Bedouins. But this framing strips the crisis of its historical and political context.

Civil Society
Conflict


MENASource

Jul 2, 2025

Why al-Sharaa’s success in Syria is good for Israel and the US

By
Itai Melchior and Nir Boms

Israel will be wise to align its policy with those who seek to integrate Syria rather than with those who seek to fragment it.

Democratic Transitions
Israel


MENASource

Jun 26, 2025

Dispatch from Damascus: Church attack shows transition’s fragility

By
Ibrahim Al-Assil

The bombing at Mar Elias Church is more than an isolated tragedy. It is a signal that Syria’s transition remains vulnerable to sabotage.

Democratic Transitions
Middle East


MENASource

Jun 20, 2025

On World Refugee Day, complexities persist for Syrian returnees

By
Sinan Hatahet

While Syria’s political shift brings new hope, it also highlights the complex realities that still define the Syrian landscape.

Middle East
Migration


MENASource

Jun 10, 2025

Why DDR programs are the missing link to Syrian stability

By
Muhsen al-Mustafa

With the end of Western sanctions, Syria faces a rare opportunity to address the imbalances of the post-conflict period.

Middle East
Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding


MENASource

Jun 4, 2025

Why Iraq should build bridges with its ‘new’ neighbor, Syria

By
Shermine Serbest

Iraq’s position on the Syria transition is split between two camps: the official government, and that of the powerful non-state actors.

Iraq
Middle East


MENASource

May 28, 2025

Sectarianism, social media, and Syria’s information blackhole

By
Gregory Waters and Kayla Koontz

Since Assad’s December ousting, Syrians have struggled to sift the truth from fake claims about security incidents across the country.

Civil Society
Middle East

Content

SyriaSource

Jan 25, 2018

Kurds Praise Construction of University in Kobani

By Sardar Mlla Drwish

Educational administrators in Kurdish controlled areas of northern Syria believe education and literacy improves people’s lives and helps to build a better future. The Kurds do not believe that the development of education should be dependent on the current Syrian government’s curricula despite the central government’s formal legal authority in this realm to date.

Syria

SyriaSource

Jan 25, 2018

Response to Senator Cory Booker on Syria

By Frederic C. Hof

With the assistance of Yale Professor Oona A. Hathaway, Senator Cory A. Booker (Democrat of New Jersey) has published an op-ed in The New York Times (“A Syria Plan that Breaks the Law”) accusing the Trump administration of wishing to wage war illegally in Syria, in a manner violating both the American Constitution and international […]

Syria

SyriaSource

Jan 24, 2018

The Battle for Afrin: Turkey’s Greatest Challenge in Syria

By Abdullah Almousa

Following news that Turkish forces and their Syrian opposition allies’ intend to enter Afrin and Manbij, both under the control of the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Turkey now faces its greatest challenge in Syria to date. This challenge comes at a time when the United States, Russia, Iran, and the Syrian regime have divided […]

Syria

SyriaSource

Jan 22, 2018

The Afrin Incursion: Will Turkey and the US Come to Blows?

By Frederic C. Hof

The decision of Turkey to mount air and ground operations in the Afrin district of northwestern Syria entails dangers that transcend even the potentially dire consequences for civilians of yet another Syrian combat zone swallowing lives and property. Despite the flamboyant anti-Turkish threats of its Syrian client, Russia has gingerly stepped aside in this corner […]

Syria

Rebuilding Syria

Jan 22, 2018

Considering a US Protectorate in Syria

By Faysal Itani

On January 18, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson offered some long-awaited clarity on US policy in post-ISIS Syria. As recently as a few weeks ago some observers (including this author) did not believe the United States would stay in Syria at all after defeating the Islamic State (ISIS, ISIL, or Daesh). Secretary Tillerson presented an […]

Syria

SyriaSource

Jan 19, 2018

The Conditions and Implications for the Afrin Attack

By Emily Burchfield

The first substantial evidence of a US plan for stabilization in post-ISIS Syria was revealed this week—and it didn’t go well. On Sunday, spokesmen from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the US-led coalition to defeat the Islamic State (ISIS, ISIL, Daesh) announced intentions to build a “border security” force of around 30,000 troops; made […]

Syria

SyriaSource

Jan 19, 2018

Raqqa: As Terrorism Fades, A Return to Everyday Life Awaits Local Consensus

By Sardar Mlla Drwish

In a country that has seen war, destruction, and widespread war crimes committed by the Islamic State (ISIS, ISIL, Daesh), the city of Raqqa is witnessing relative calm and a new rebirth with the slow return of its people. Local and foreign institutions intervened to focus on reconstruction and dispatching task forces to remove land […]

Syria

SyriaSource

Jan 18, 2018

The New Strategy—Good Enough?

By Frederic C. Hof

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s Stanford University “Remarks on the Way Forward for the United States Regarding Syria” depict a major improvement in the American approach to the crisis in Syria, one consistent in many respects with recommendations offered here over the past five years. Officially gone is President Barack Obama’s disastrously erroneous view—opposed by […]

Syria

SyriaSource

Jan 18, 2018

Chechen and north Caucasian militants in Syria

By Neil Hauer

One of the most heavily-discussed groupings of foreign fighters in Syria are those from Chechnya and the North Caucasus. While ultimately small in number, they have played an outsized role in the conflict,.

Syria

Rebuilding Syria

Jan 17, 2018

Lessons Learned: A Year After the Fall of Aleppo

By Abdullah Almousa

This past December marks one year since Aleppo fell back into regime control following six years of fighting and a bloody aerial bombing campaign. This put an end to the most violent theatre of war in Syria; marked by the departure of those expelled from Aleppo on the last convoy on December 22 to the […]

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