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

Apr 20, 2016

Political & Military Control: The Siege of Deir Ezzor

By Justice for Life Observatory in Deir Ezzor

In January 2015, the Islamic State (ISIS) imposed a siege on the regime controlled parts of the city, which are some of the western neighborhoods and the military airport adjacent to them, after it drove out the moderate and Islamist opposition groups. ISIS’s siege on regime-controlled Deir Ezzor is in its sixteenth month, and constitutes […]

Syria

SyriaSource

Apr 19, 2016

At What Point is a Cessation of Hostilities Broken?

By Faysal Itani and Hossam Abouzahr

For several weeks, the cessation of hostilities (COH) in Syria led to a significant and widespread decline in violence. This gave the impression that parties to the Syrian conflict and their foreign sponsors had somehow reached a lasting ceasefire, against all odds. In truth, however, and quite apart from the expected sporadic violations, serious fighting […]

Syria

SyriaSource

Apr 19, 2016

The Golan Heights: Israeli Forever?

By Frederic C. Hof

On April 17, 2016 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared, “The time has come after 40 years for the international community to finally recognize that the Golan Heights will remain forever under Israeli sovereignty.…The Golan Heights will always stay in Israeli hands. Israel will never leave the Golan Heights.” Although similar statements by Israeli leaders […]

Syria

SyriaSource

Apr 19, 2016

#5YearsWeFled: Smuggler’s Discount on Our Lives

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

Apr 14, 2016

Does the Syrian opposition have anti-aircraft missiles?

By Haid Haid

A Syrian regime’s fighter jet was shot down on April 5, near al-Bawabiya village in southern Aleppo where fighting recently broke out between rebel and regime forces. The Syrian regime’s military said a plane on a reconnaissance mission had been shot down by a surface-to-air missile, according to the Guardian. This is the second time […]

Syria

SyriaSource

Apr 12, 2016

The Aleppo-Geneva Disconnect

By Faysal Itani and Reema Hibrawi

As usual, events in Aleppo portend more general crises in Syria. The recent outbreak of fighting southwest of Aleppo city is the most serious violation of the February 27 ‘cessation of hostilities’ (COH) yet, and further highlights the COH’s fundamental weaknesses and poor prospects. According to Syrian Observatory for Human Rights’ (SOHR) monitoring reports, the […]

Syria
Photo: Syrian refugees arrive at the Greek island of Kos on a dinghy. Picture taken 12 Aug, 2015. Reuters/Yannis Behrakis

SyriaSource

Apr 12, 2016

#5YearsWeFled: The Kindness of Strangers

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
A line of Syrian refugees crossing the border of Hungary and Austria on their way to Germany. Hungary, Central Europe, 6 September 2015. Wikimedia Commons/Mstyslav Chernov

SyriaSource

Apr 11, 2016

Finding Alternative Routes to Europe

By Mohamad Khair Alhamwi

Following the plan by the EU and Turkey to turn back refugees, many are looking for alternative ways to reach Europe. Syria Deeply explores a new path to the continent that starts on the other side of the Atlantic – in South America

Syria

SyriaSource

Apr 11, 2016

Banking on the Generosity of Others

By Frederic C. Hof

In an April 7 interview with Hassan Moawad of Al Arabiya, Secretary of State John Kerry’s imprecision on the political future of Bashar al-Assad and the nature of Syrian political transition illustrated with fine granularity some critical shortfalls in the administration’s approach to Syria. By downgrading the importance of recent Russian-Assad regime military gains and […]

Syria

SyriaSource

Apr 6, 2016

Demographic Change: Assad’s Guarantee for an Alawite Quasi-state

By Ghaith al-Ahmad

The Syrian regime is working to secure the Damascus areas, starting with al-Zabadani at the Lebanese borders towards Homs and the suburbs bordering al-Asi (Orontes) river, which Hezbollah has entrenched itself it. The regime is also working to strengthen its grip on the coastal cities Tartous and Latakia, which are the stronghold of the Alawite […]

Syria
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