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

May 8, 2025

From rubble to rebirth: A model for Syria’s reconstruction

By
Mahmood Alhosain

Almost six months since Assad regime collapse, four key pillars will determine whether this new Damascus can seize the opportunity.

Civil Society
Democratic Transitions


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

Content

SyriaSource

Feb 1, 2017

What Does Astana Bode for Next Week’s Peace Talks

By Daniel R. DePetris

For the first time since the war in Syria began six years ago, representatives from the Assad regime and the multiple opposition factions seeking its overthrow met face-to-face in a Kazakhstan conference room in an attempt to arrive at some minor understanding on tamping down the violence.  The initiative devised and sponsored by Russia, Iran, […]

Syria

SyriaSource

Jan 27, 2017

The Euphrates Dam Is at Risk in the SDF Operation to Capture It from ISIS

By Abdel Jawad Sakran

The condition of the Euphrates Dam has deteriorated throughout the Syrian conflict, putting the region at risk of environmental disaster. The greatest threats are international coalition airstrikes against Islamic State positions, and neglect for dam maintenance.

Syria

SyriaSource

Jan 25, 2017

A Shared Shame: How Assad and His Apologists Manipulated Syria’s Struggle and Story—and Why That Matters

By Anthony Elghossain

Ever since it kicked off this macabre dance by shooting a bunch of teenagers in 2011, the Assad regime has masterfully manipulated Syria’s struggle—and story. Not only has it escalated, militarized, and radicalized the struggle, from a peaceful contest for control that it never could have survived to a war that it has survived for […]

Syria

SyriaSource

Jan 23, 2017

Armed Opposition Groups in Syria Face Obstacles to Unity

By Hosam al-Jablawi

There has been renewed talk about combatant groups in the north of Syria joining together, particularly after opposition groups lost Aleppo—the largest city in northern Syria—to Assad’s regime. Opposition groups first entered the city in 2012, and its recent loss led to a decline in their popularity. Demonstrations against opposition groups demanded that they unite […]

Syria

SyriaSource

Jan 17, 2017

What Is behind the Surge in Attacks against al-Qaeda’s Syrian Affiliate?

By Haid Haid

There is a dramatic increase in the targeted assaults on Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (JFS), the rebranded former al-Qaeda affiliated Nusra Front. The US-led international coalition 21 reportedly killed JFS fighters on January 11. The attack seems to be part of a wider campaign against the group which led to the killing of more than 50 […]

SyriaSource

Jan 16, 2017

The Opposition Struggles to Regain its Balance after Aleppo

By Abdullah Almousa

Since the regime defeated opposition forces in Aleppo, the rebels have been struggling to regain their balance. Reeling from their recent defeat and struggling with internal challenges, though, they have yet to put forth any solid plan.

Syria

SyriaSource

Jan 13, 2017

Tillerson on Syria

By Frederic C. Hof

When speaking about Syria, President Obama and his key aides have never denied the vital connection between the Assad regime’s collective punishment survival strategy—mass homicide, wholesale displacement, starvation sieges, Nazi-style penal practices, state terror—and the ability of Islamist extremists in Syria to live long and prosper. But by failing to complicate and slow the sanguinary […]

Syria

SyriaSource

Jan 13, 2017

Analysis: The Fifth Corps and the State of the Syrian Army

By Abdulrahman al-Masri

On November 22, the General Command of the Syrian Army announced the formation of its first official volunteer-based military force, the Fifth Assault Corps. The official statement described it as a commando force aimed at “fighting terrorism,” which would be deployed alongside other army units and foreign allied forces (but did not specify where). Among […]

Syria

SyriaSource

Jan 12, 2017

Escaping from Deir Ezzor

By Emily Burchfield

On December 27, Syrian media group Justice for Life Observatory in Deir Ezzor (JFL) published a report on the challenges facing civilians living in and fleeing from Islamic State (ISIS, ISIL, or Daesh)-occupied areas in Deir Ezzor. In early 2016, the Islamic State seized large swaths of the eastern province, establishing a conduit between the […]

Syria

SyriaSource

Jan 10, 2017

What’s Behind Labeling the Events in Syria a “Civil War”?

By Hasan Arfeh

Many changes have taken place in the editorial practices of global and Arab media regarding Syria since the start of the 2011 revolution against the regime. But one shift which has become fixed—especially in the West—is describing what is occurring in the country as a civil war. This term began to appear in major international […]

Syria
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