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

May 27, 2016

Nusra Front Accuses US of Betraying Syrian Revolution, Calls for Continuing Jihad

By SyriaSource

In a video recording released by the Nusra Front yesterday, titled Advancing in Your Victory, Sheikh Abdallah Atwan, nicknamed Abu Abdallah al-Shami and member of the Nusra Front’s Shura Council, accuses the United States of betraying the Syrian revolution and changing its attitudes toward the Assad regime and its allies. This article reviews the most […]

Syria

SyriaSource

May 23, 2016

#5YearsWeFled: Help at Every Turn

By Ayman Jalwan

This series is from interviews with the lawyer Ayman Jalwan. It highlights the difficult choice that Syrians face—dying in the war zone that Syria had become, or flee the land he loved. Last year, he and his wife said goodbye to their families and joined the wave of citizens leaving the country. First they had […]

Syria

SyriaSource

May 23, 2016

An Offer Well Worth Refusing

By Frederic C. Hof

On May 20, 2016 Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu proposed that the United States and Russia coordinate air strikes against Nusra Front positions in northwestern Syria. Shoigu helpfully added that his proposal had been coordinated with the Assad regime in Damascus. His initiative represents an opening shot, as it were, in Russia’s attempt to forge […]

Syria

SyriaSource

May 20, 2016

Political Development as a Response to the Conflict in Syria

By Sarah Sheikh Ali

Of the five aspects of development, projects in Syria lack focus on political development, favoring projects of a social, economic, cultural, or environmental nature. In Syria, the spread of selective economic and social services projects without any political development component hinders development work from supporting the resolution of the larger conflict in Syria and sub-conflicts. […]

Syria

SyriaSource

May 19, 2016

The Latest from Vienna

By Frederic C. Hof

The International Syrian Support Group (ISSG) met in Vienna on May 17, 2016 and issued a statement summing up its work. The language of the statement on civilian protection and humanitarian access is positive and assertive. Russia and Iran have agreed on paper to things of potentially great significance in terms of reducing violence and […]

Syria

SyriaSource

May 16, 2016

#5YearsWeFled: From Border to Border

By Ayman Jalwan

This series is from interviews with the lawyer Ayman Jalwan. It highlights the difficult choice that Syrians face—dying in the war zone that Syria had become, or flee the land he loved. Last year, he and his wife said goodbye to their families and joined the wave of citizens leaving the country. First they had […]

Syria

SyriaSource

May 16, 2016

One Fighter’s Recruitment – and Escape – from ISIS

By Yasser Allawi and Jalal Zein al-Deen

As ISIS swept over large swathes of the eastern province, former FSA fighter Abu Khadija pledged his allegiance, believing the extremists were his best bet to topple the Assad government. Now, after escaping, he wishes he could take it all back. In most ways, Abu Khadija, a 39-year-old Syrian, is not remarkable. He used to making […]

Syria

SyriaSource

May 13, 2016

Is a Deal Cooking?

By Frederic C. Hof

Senior officials of countries very closely allied to the United States are registering with a variety of contacts their concern that Secretary of State John Kerry is “rushing into a deal” that would accept the Russian interpretation of the Syrian transitional governing body mandated by the June 30, 2012 Geneva Final Communiqué. Moscow wants the […]

Syria

SyriaSource

May 13, 2016

An Unexpected Opposition Victory in South Aleppo

By Saleem al-Omar

Despite Russian aerial support for Syrian regime forces, Jaysh al-Fatah has scored an unexpected victory over the Syrian regime and the Iranian militias supporting it. The opposition coalition Jaysh al-Fatah took Khan Tuman, a village located on the highway connecting Aleppo and Damascus. Syrians hope this victory marks a resurgence of Jaysh al-Fatah from a […]

Syria

SyriaSource

May 12, 2016

Fighting ISIS and the Regime with Renewable Energy

By Amr al-Faham

All parties in the Syrian conflict have used siege tactics to destroy infrastructure and force opponents into submission; a tactic predominantly used by the regime and its allies. Meanwhile, civilians in besieged areas struggle to find alternatives sources for essential services such as waste disposal, potable water, and electricity. With the support of local opposition […]

Syria
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