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.

Explore MENASOURCE

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

Oct 29, 2015

The West’s Reaction to Syria’s Atrocities is Inaction

By Frederic C. Hof

Frederic C. Hof, Senior Fellow with the Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center, delivered an address on October 28 at the British Parliament. His remarks highlight the courage of one Syrian, known as Caesar, who smuggled out photographs of the Syrian government’s mass killings, in hopes that the West would respond and stop the horrors that are happening. […]

Syria

SyriaSource

Oct 29, 2015

Top News: October 29, 2015

By SyriaSource

Increased strikes kill thirty-five in Syria hospitalsFour-way Syria talks begin in Vienna; Syria criticizes Saudi ArabiaChina, Germany call for political solution in Syria; Russia opposes resolution on barrel bombsMonitoring group reports Russian raids in Syria’s south for first timeTurkey marks 92nd Republic Day amidst deep political, social strainMembers of Iraq’s ruling coalition threaten to withdraw […]

Syria

SyriaSource

Oct 28, 2015

Top News: October 28, 2015

By SyriaSource

– Iran to join international Syria talks– ISIS advances on regime town in north Syria– Syria war costs oil industry over $50 billion – UN programs struggle to meet needs of Syrian refugees– Iraq says did not ask for US ground operations– ISIS behind October 10 Ankara massacre, says Turkey’s chief prosecutor

Syria

SyriaSource

Oct 28, 2015

Iran and the Syrian Political Transition

By Frederic C. Hof

Whether or not Iran will accept an invitation to Syria-related discussions in Vienna this Friday with the United States, Russia, and others remains unknown, at least to the Department of State spokesman. Clearly Iran is a “stakeholder” in the Syrian conflict and a party vitally interested in that conflict’s outcome. Given its deep and abiding […]

Syria

SyriaSource

Oct 27, 2015

Top News: October 27, 2015

By SyriaSource

– Obama weighs moving US troops closer to front lines in Syria, Iraq– Russians, Iranians killed in Syria– ISIS blows up columns in Syria’s Palmyra while executing three captives– France hosts Syria talks on Tuesday– UN says 120,000 displaced in Syria in October– Oman minister meets Assad to discuss conflict– Turkey fires at Kurdish forces […]

Syria

SyriaSource

Oct 27, 2015

Ends and Means in Syria

By Frederic C. Hof

With well over four-million refugees and roughly double that number internally displaced, Syria is an apt subject for the question, ‘How much worse can it get?’ The answer is much worse. With Russia now engaged militarily in an attempt to create for Syrians and the world a purely binary choice between two horrific criminal enterprises—the […]

Syria

SyriaSource

Oct 26, 2015

Considering the Prospects for a Kurdish Alliance with Russia in Syria

By Daryus al-Darwish

Russia’s recent intervention in the Syrian crisis will create new circumstances to which the Kurdish forces must respond and adopt a position. Whatever the Kurds decide will alter the current equation and ultimate outcome of the Syrian crisis.

Syria

SyriaSource

Oct 26, 2015

Top News: October 26, 2015

By Syria Source

– France to present UN resolution banning use of Syrian barrel bombs– Russia says it wants Syria elections, ready to help Free Syrian Army– New FSA alliance formed in southern Syria; Syrian regime battles ISIS for Aleppo supply line– United States, Saudi Arabia to bolster support for moderate Syrian opposition– Nine killed in raid on ISIS cell in Turkey– Suicide bomber […]

Syria

SyriaSource

Oct 23, 2015

Kissinger and Haass on Syria

By Frederic C. Hof

Two of the top foreign policy minds gracing the American scene—Henry Kissinger and Richard Haass—have weighed-in thoughtfully on Russia’s military intervention in Syria: what it means, where it may go, what (if anything) useful might be made of it.  One need not agree with all of their respective observations and prescriptions to appreciate fully the […]

Syria

SyriaSource

Oct 23, 2015

Top News: Russia, US, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia seek solution to Syrian war in Vienna

By Syria Source

US Secretary of State John Kerry opened talks in Vienna on Friday with his Russian, Saudi, and Turkish counterparts aimed at reviving a moribund effort to end Syria’s civil war. Kerry began a day-long series of meetings in the Austrian capital by consulting with Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, and Turkish Foreign Minister Feridun […]

Syria
Load More