SyriaSource

SyriaSource provided on-the-ground coverage from local, regional, and international experts with timely news and analysis.

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

Feb 20, 2026

Syria is not Libya, but it could become one if the world looks away

By
Kurt Davis Jr.

There are lessons from Libya's fragmentation and collapse that can be applied now as Syria sits at a similar inflection point.


Conflict

Libya


MENASource

Jan 29, 2026

Why Syria’s government must turn inward in 2026

By
Gregory Waters

Necessary domestic reforms include continued security reforms, economic development, and writing a new constitution.


Civil Society

Democratic Transitions


MENASource

Jan 28, 2026

Syria’s Kurds could be al-Sharaa’s partners in rebuilding. Why did Damascus assault them instead?

By
Amy Austin Holmes

The offensive on Kurdish neighborhoods was the third wave of sectarian violence after the targeting of Druze and Alawites.


Democratic Transitions

Middle East


MENASource

Jan 13, 2026

Eight questions (and expert answers) on the SDF’s withdrawal from Syria’s Aleppo

By
Atlantic Council experts

Our experts unpack why violence erupted, what it means for Kurdish safety and integration in Syria, and how Washington is engaging.


Civil Society

Conflict


MENASource

Dec 18, 2025

Russia’s most important Middle East base is not where you think

By
Frank Talbot

Before its future in post-Assad Syria was determined, Russia was actively searching for alternative strategic relationships in the region.


Defense Policy

Libya


MENASource

Dec 8, 2025

States shouldn’t waste the chance to establish a Syria Victims Fund

By
Kate Springs, Celeste Kmiotek

A centralized fund would better support victims of international law violations in Syria, who face unique challenges.


Democratic Transitions

International Norms


MENASource

Dec 7, 2025

Syria’s civil society must take center stage in reconstruction

By
Tara Kangarlou and Merissa Khurma

One year since Bashar al-Assad’s fall, Syria stands to have the most potential to showcase how local ownership can accelerate reconstruction.


Civil Society

Middle East


MENASource

Dec 7, 2025

One year after Assad’s fall, here’s what’s needed to advance justice for Syrians

By
Elise Baker and Ahmad Helmi

The second year of a post-Assad Syria requires structural reform, victim-centered leadership, and international reinforcement.


Democratic Transitions

International Norms


MENASource

Nov 21, 2025

Syria joining the anti-ISIS coalition is a westward pivot—with opportunities and risks

By
Merissa Khurma and Giorgio Cafiero

The decision is a shift in the country’s alignment—from Russian and Iranian spheres of influence to one in NATO and GCC regional orbits.


Democratic Transitions

Middle East


MENASource

Sep 24, 2025

Is a new era of Turkey-Syria economic engagement on the horizon?

By
Ömer Özkizilcik and Levent Kemal

The convergence of Turkey's and the Gulf's economic strategies in Syria presents an opportunity for Washington.


Democratic Transitions

Middle East

Content

SyriaSource

Apr 7, 2017

Frederic C. Hof’s Statement on US Military Strikes in Syria: This May Signal That the Free Ride for Mass Murder Is Over

By Frederic C. Hof

The American strike on Shayrat air base in Syria is an appropriate response to mass homicide by the regime of Bashar al-Assad. It was from Shayrat that aircrafts were launched on April 4, 2017 to deliver chemical munitions on the town of Khan Sheikhoun, killing several dozen defenseless civilians, including children. This American strike, which […]

Syria

SyriaSource

Apr 5, 2017

Will Syria’s Chemical Attack Be a Turning Point in US Policy?

By SyriaSource

A chemical attack by regime warplanes in the Syrian province of Idlib has left over 70 civilians dead and at least another 100 seeking treatment for exposure to toxic gases. Though details are still being revealed, initial reports suggest that attack used sarin gas, the same deadly gas the regime used in an attack on […]

Syria

SyriaSource

Apr 5, 2017

No Guns, No Justice: The Geopolitics of Law and the Culture of Impunity in the Levant

By Anthony Elghossain

Yesterday, the Assad regime rained chemicals down from the skies—killing scores of civilians, including children, as it has been doing daily since it triggered Syria’s struggle by killing peaceful protestors in 2011. In six years of war, the Assad regime has committed countless atrocities: it has massacred civilians in Daraya, gassed Ghouta, set up a […]

Syria

SyriaSource

Apr 3, 2017

Voices of the truth: Journalists of Eastern Ghouta

By Youssef Sadaki

This article interviews four journalists dedicated to reporting on the revolution from its inception as the voices of the truth, and describing working conditions for journalists in a country considered “the most dangerous for journalists.”

Syria

SyriaSource

Mar 31, 2017

Obama and Trump on Assad: Change of Policy?

By Frederic C. Hof

Syria-watchers, including members of the United States Senate, reacted critically to statements by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley about the Trump administration’s position on the status of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. In Ankara on March 30th Tillerson commented that Assad’s long-term status “will be decided by the […]

Syria

SyriaSource

Mar 29, 2017

Rebels Advance in Hama Countryside as Regime Mobilizes Army Again to Defend City

By Saleem al-Omar

Syrian rebel forces have reached the village of Qamhana in the northern Hama countryside, the scene of fierce clashes between regime forces and Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (the Levant Liberation Committee), which includes jihadist factions such as the Fateh al-Sham Front (formerly the al-Qaeda affiliated Nusra Front). The village lies four kilometers (2.4 miles) from Hama […]

Syria

SyriaSource

Mar 29, 2017

A responsibility to project? Power, law, and ‘nascent norms’ in the Levant

By Anthony Elghossain

America and its allies eviscerated in practice what they elevated in principle. They adopted a bunch of tactically disjointed, strategically counterproductive, morally abysmal, and logically barren half-measures and remedial programs.

International Norms Syria

SyriaSource

Mar 28, 2017

Deir Ezzor, the ‘Forgotten City,’ Is Becoming Important for ISIS

By Hasan Arfeh

The city of Deir Ezzor joined the Syrian revolution early on, and protestors organized a number of demonstrations against the regime in 2011 and continued until the city emerged from regime control in 2012. After that, many groups in the Syrian opposition and Islamist battalions passed through Deir Ezzor. In July of 2014, the city […]

Syria

SyriaSource

Mar 28, 2017

Beyond Syria: Iran and Future Conflicts in the Middle East and Central Asia

By Ali Alfoneh

The catastrophic war in Syria seems to have gotten nearer to a tragic conclusion, but the end of this war may herald the beginning of other regional conflicts in the Middle East and Central Asia. What began as peaceful protests against the Assad regime’s dictatorial rule, soon evolved into a proxy war between Iran on […]

Iran Syria

SyriaSource

Mar 27, 2017

The Syrian Conflict Enters its Seventh Year

By Faysal Itani and Hossam Abouzahr

As the conflict in Syria enters its seventh year, it poses both new and old unanswered questions for US policy. The armed opposition is no longer a strategic threat to the Assad regime, and while international intervention would change that, it is unlikely. Fighting, which Assad is too weak to prevent, will continue in parts […]

Syria
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