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

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

Jun 20, 2016

A Possible (and Unusual) Russian Attack on US Allies

By Faysal Itani

US officials repeatedly say that United States and Russia share the goal of defeating the Islamic State (ISIS). Why then has Russia apparently attacked the New Syrian Army (NSA)—a US-armed and trained force whose sole purpose is fighting ISIS? And how can the United States salvage its ability to recruit local partners against the extremist […]

Syria

SyriaSource

Jun 17, 2016

Frederic C. Hof’s Statement on State Department Internal Memo Critical of Obama Administration Policy in Syria

By Frederic C. Hof

WASHINGTON, DC – On June 16, 2016, The New York Times reported that more than fifty State Department diplomats had signed an internal memo critiquing the Obama administration’s Syria policy. The New York Times was provided a draft of the memo, which urges air strikes against the Assad regime in Syria. In response, Ambassador Frederic C. Hof, director of the […]

Syria

SyriaSource

Jun 17, 2016

How Marea Defeated ISIS (Again)

By Zuhour Mahmoud

For the past two years, rebels in the northern Aleppo town of Marea have repeatedly fought off attempts by the so-called Islamic State to take control of the area. Last week saw them successfully break the group’s siege and force it to withdraw.

Syria

SyriaSource

Jun 16, 2016

The Nusra Front’s Impossible Position

By Hasan Arfeh

The city of Maarat al-Num’an in Idlib Province is continuing its revolt against the Syrian regime and extremist groups like the Nusra Front, al-Qaeda’s arm in Syria, and Jund al-Aqsa group. The dynamics between Nusra trying to impose control and Sharia law on the city, and the locals resisting it, give insight into the armed […]

Syria

SyriaSource

Jun 15, 2016

Syria Civil Defense: How a Group of Volunteers Has Saved Thousands of Lives

By Hosam al-Jablawi

In the early days of the Syrian Civil War, following an increase in casualties from regime air strikes on opposition-held areas, poorly trained civilians volunteers would transport the wounded for treatment and try to save civilians trapped in the rubble.  Their lack of experience led to the deaths of a number of wounded people due […]

Syria
Photo: FSA soldiers hold a planning session during the Battle of Aleppo, October 2012. Voice of America News, Scott Bobb reporting from Aleppo, Syria.

SyriaSource

Jun 15, 2016

#ACInteractive: Armed Opposition Groups in Syria

By Reema Hibrawi

This infographic below represents data collected on armed groups in the northwestern provinces of Aleppo, Idlib, Latakia, and Hama as of May 2016. The data is compiled from the Carnegie Endowment, Carter Center, Institute for the Study of War, Clarion Project, archicivilians, and contacts in northern Syria.

Syria

SyriaSource

Jun 13, 2016

Civilian Survival Strategies in Syria

By Natasha Hall

On Wednesday, June 8, at least 10 people were killed in strikes targeting the Bayan hospital in opposition-held Aleppo city. Staff from the nearby Children’s Hospital had to remove nine newborns from their incubators after the aerial assault, according to the Independent Doctors’ Association in Syria.. This adds to nearly 740 doctors and staff have been killed […]

Syria

SyriaSource

Jun 13, 2016

Is the Assad Regime Switching Gears?

By Hossam Abouzahr and Tarek Radwan

Several recent events in Syria suggest that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his allies are changing their strategy to focus on retaking more land from the Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) in concert with harassment bombing of opposition-held territories in western Syria. By focusing on retaking territory from ISIS, the Assad regime hopes to regain […]

Syria

SyriaSource

Jun 10, 2016

Is Assad Delusional?

By Faysal Itani

In a matter of months, Bashar Assad’s reading of the Syrian war was transformed. In a June 7 speech to Syria’s Parliament, he vowed to retake “every inch” of Syria, dismissing negotiations with the opposition as a trap. In contrast, less than a year ago in July 2015, Assad gave a very different speech. Then, […]

Syria

SyriaSource

Jun 10, 2016

Challenges Facing a Developing Kurdish Media

By Jiwan Soz

It is difficult to find a single professional Kurdish media outlet operating in Iraqi Kurdistan and Kurdish-controlled parts of Syria, or what in Kurdish is called Rojava. The situations in Iraq under Saddam Hussein and Syria under the Baathist regime led to a lack of independent media and institutions to nurture Kurdish media and language. […]

Syria
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