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.

Explore MENASOURCE

The latest on Syria

MENASource

Apr 29, 2025

Why the US must not let Syria slip away

By Luke Wagner

Reconsidering the uneasy US-Syria relationship amid reports that Trump and al-Sharaa will meet during the US president’s Saudi Arabia visit.

Economic Sanctions Middle East

MENASource

Apr 1, 2025

Israel is making a miscalculation in southern Syria. Here is why.

By Ömer Özkizilcik

Israel’s approach in southern Syria risks deepening sectarian divisions, eroding the Druze community’s standin, and fueling broader instability.

Conflict Defense Policy

MENASource

Mar 31, 2025

Western sanctions against Damascus must evolve—Just as Syria has

By Sinan Hatahet

The US can play a pivotal role in shaping the next chapter of Syria’s recovery by shifting its approach from maximum pressure to calibrated influence.

Middle East Politics & Diplomacy

MENASource

Mar 25, 2025

Dispatch from Bekaa: Inside the sectarian skirmishes on the Syria-Lebanon border

By Nicholas Blanford

Local Shia tribesmen have battled an assortment of Sunni jihadist militias and the new Syrian security forces dominated by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).

English Lebanon

MENASource

Mar 19, 2025

Inside Hayat Tahrir al-Sham’s diplomatic offensive with Syria’s Christians and Ismailis

By Gregory Waters

HTS’s diplomatic offensive demonstrates the leadership’s political approach, which evolved over years of engaging with the Christian and Druze communities in Idlib.

Democratic Transitions Freedom and Prosperity

MENASource

Mar 19, 2025

Why the United States must bridge the Iraq-Syria divide

By Sarkawt Shamsulddin

With leverage over both capitals, the United States emerges as the linchpin in delicate diplomatic moment between Baghdad and Damascus.

English Iraq

MENASource

Mar 18, 2025

Landmark SDF-Damascus deal presents opportunity, and uncertainty, for Turkey

By Ömer Özkizilcik

Despite positive signals, critical ambiguities remain in agreement between Syrian President Ahmed Shara and SDF commander Mazloum Abdi.

English Middle East

MENASource

Mar 10, 2025

Syria’s women face a new chapter. Here’s how to amplify their voices.

By Diana Rayes , Hind Kabawat

It is critical for women to be involved in transitional justice and constitutional reform processes in Syria.

Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding Syria

MENASource

Feb 26, 2025

Why post-Assad Syria complicates the Iran-Turkey rivalry

By Giorgio Cafiero

Depending on what unfolds after Assad’s fall, there could be reason to expect a degree of Iran-Turkey alignment in Syria.

Crisis Management Democratic Transitions

MENASource

Feb 13, 2025

Dispatch from Syria: ‘Syrians cannot focus on their future if they are still drowning in their past’

By Arwa Damon

The pain felt by those searching for clues in the dark void of the former regime’s detention system is palpable, Arwa Damon reports from Syria.

Conflict Crisis Management

Content

SyriaSource

Oct 18, 2019

Turkey’s “pause” in Syria: Will the US tourniquet stop the bleeding?

By Frederic C. Hof

Time will tell whether the United States can take advantage of a pause in Turkish military operations to broker a diplomatic solution to the Northeast Syria crisis.

Politics & Diplomacy Syria

SyriaSource

Oct 15, 2019

Syria: Is anything salvageable?

By Frederic C. Hof

The importance of Syria to the West generally and to the United States specifically dictates that something of value be salvaged from the wreckage. Facilitating the resurrection of ISIS and the restoration of a terrorism-abetting Assad regime to all of Syria should be unthinkable.

Middle East Politics & Diplomacy

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Oct 3, 2019

In solidarity with Sudan: Syria’s graffiti movement

By Rana Riziq

Within this project, local volunteers planned and organized graffiti murals, based off of London artist and social commentator Banksy, reflecting on current events while tying in the Syrian conflict.

Civil Society Resilience & Society

SyriaSource

Sep 20, 2019

Samantha Power’s uneasy legacy on Syria

By Frederic C. Hof

It is the memoir of someone who is anything but a time server; someone who truly cares about things and who has tried—often successfully—to make a difference for the better.

Politics & Diplomacy Syria

SyriaSource

Sep 12, 2019

War and art: The graffiti movement in Syria

By Rana Riziq

A local Syrian civil society organization, Kesh Malek, is focused on supplying humanitarian aid and services to Syrians throughout Syria. One of its successful media campaigns this year is the Syria Banksy project.

Civil Society Syria

SyriaSource

Aug 5, 2019

The evolution of Syrian revolutionary art

By Natasha Hall

Perhaps, it is unsurprising then, that political posters and street art became so ubiquitous in the Syrian Revolution. The regimes of the Middle East knew the political potential for art. For this reason, it has always been closely monitored.

Syria

SyriaSource

Aug 1, 2019

Why is the US clashing with the Dutch over Syria?

By Grace Wermenbol

As the women’s national soccer teams battled it out for the World Cup title in early July, another clash was taking place in the political realm between the Americans and the Dutch over the latter’s military contribution in Syria.

Syria

SyriaSource

Aug 1, 2019

Syrians at the Turkish border: humiliation, torture, and death

By Tesbih Habbal

Yet the journey is fraught with danger that doesn’t end at the border. If anything, the border itself is the most dangerous part of the journey with Turkish border guards known as “Jandarma,” who frequently capture, beat, and steal from Syrian refugees only to send them back into Syria.

Syria

SyriaSource

Jul 17, 2019

Getting out – again?

By Frederic C. Hof

Will allies and partners be certain of American steadfastness? Can American officials genuinely claim to know the commander-in-chief’s intent? President Trump may not wish to make Iran’s day by gifting northeastern Syria to it, Russia, and the Assad regime.

Syria

SyriaSource

Jul 11, 2019

The conflict has torn apart Syrian tribes, but they remain an important player

By Khalifa al-Khuder

Despite the lack of focus on the Syrian Arab tribes’ social and political roles, they continue to be an important player between the conflicting parties in Syria, especially the Euphrates region and in northern Syria.

Syria
Load More