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

Nov 19, 2015

Top News: November 19, 2015

By SyriaSource

– Turkey’s Erdogan urges united Muslim front against terror– Obama says Assad must go; would veto bill toughening Syria refugee checks– France says Russia open to cooperation as Moscow demands sovereignty be respected– Syria army, rebels in talks over 15-day truce near capital– Syria no breeding ground for ISIS, says Assad– Iraqi-Kurdish leader says Paris […]

Syria

SyriaSource

Nov 18, 2015

Hezbollah’s Winning Hand

By Fidaa Itani

Hezbollah stands helpless following the explosion at its headquarters based in al-Dahieh (the southern suburbs of Beirut) on November 12. For three years, while fighting in Syria, it has been alternating between sectarian and nationalistic justifications to legitimize its actions therein, but now finds the fighting in the heart of its territory.

Syria

SyriaSource

Nov 18, 2015

Top News: November 18, 2015

By SyriaSource

– Obama calls on Russia to focus on war against ISIS in Syria; international debate Assad– French, Russia raids in Syria kill 33 ISIS militants; ISIS stiffens defenses in Raqqa– Syria accused of attacks on medical facilities and personnel– Turkey detains eight Europe-bound ISIS suspects ‘posing as refugees’– Abadi orders an investigation into attacks on […]

Syria

SyriaSource

Nov 18, 2015

A Presidential Pardon for ISIL in Syria?

By Frederic C. Hof

Having executed an abomination in Paris while promising more to come, the leaders of the Islamic State (ISIL, ISIS, or Da’esh) in Syria may well have expected the West to shake off its lethargy and build a coalition of ground combat forces to hunt them down and kill them. But perhaps they acted with the […]

Syria

SyriaSource

Nov 17, 2015

Top News: November 17, 2015

By SyriaSource

– Kerry says Syria could be ‘weeks away’ from transition– France deploys aircraft carrier to support Syria raids– Russia ‘outraged’ at accusations it killed civilians in Syria– Syrian Kurdish-Arab alliance captures nearly 200 villages from ISIS– US ground invasion out of the question; US, Turkey launch operation to take border with Syria – Kurdistan continues to […]

Syria

SyriaSource

Nov 17, 2015

The Islamic State’s Molding of Syrian Children

By Feras Hanoush

ISIS is recruiting a new wave of combatants into its ranks following the joint forces’ advances into Raqqa province and to assert its control over larger swaths of the northern outskirts of Aleppo. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights stated that between January and August 2015 1,100 children under the age of sixteen have been […]

Syria

SyriaSource

Nov 16, 2015

Vienna II: Civilian Protection Lite

By Frederic C. Hof

The countries and organizations attending the second round of Syria talks in Vienna, now calling themselves the International Syria Support Group (ISSG), gave short shrift in their written statement to those Syrians most in need of their support: the victims—past, present, and future—of the Assad regime’s relentless program of mass homicide. Buried in a pile […]

Syria

SyriaSource

Nov 16, 2015

Top News: November 16, 2015

By SyriaSource

– Two US states shun Syria refugees in wake of Paris attacks– US warplanes strike ISIS oil trucks; US delivers ammunition to Syrians fighting ISIS– After Paris attacks, French jets pound ISIS– Nusra Front kills leader of ISIS affiliate– World powers push timetable for Syria solution– Iraq warned of attacks before Paris assault

Syria

SyriaSource

Nov 13, 2015

Top News: November 13, 2015

By SyriaSource

– Assad wins strategic victories ahead of Vienna talks– United States to cripple ISIS-controlled oil fields in Syria– US air strike targets ‘Jihadi John’ in Syria– ISIS claims deadly twin Beirut explosions– Two soldiers killed in PKK mine attack in Turkey’s southeast– Kurdish forces seize Iraq’s Sinjar town from ISIS

Syria

SyriaSource

Nov 13, 2015

Vienna II: Who’s a Terrorist?

By Frederic C. Hof

On Saturday November 14, the participants of the October 30 Vienna conference on Syria will reconvene in the same place. This despite the fact that Assad regime attacks on civilians have relented not in the least. Indeed, military aircraft of the Russian Federation have supplemented the civilian-centric bombing campaign of Moscow’s client, reportedly adding cluster […]

Syria
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