SyriaSource

SyriaSource provided on-the-ground coverage from local, regional, and international experts with timely news and analysis.

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

Feb 20, 2026

Syria is not Libya, but it could become one if the world looks away

By
Kurt Davis Jr.

There are lessons from Libya's fragmentation and collapse that can be applied now as Syria sits at a similar inflection point.


Conflict

Libya


MENASource

Jan 29, 2026

Why Syria’s government must turn inward in 2026

By
Gregory Waters

Necessary domestic reforms include continued security reforms, economic development, and writing a new constitution.


Civil Society

Democratic Transitions


MENASource

Jan 28, 2026

Syria’s Kurds could be al-Sharaa’s partners in rebuilding. Why did Damascus assault them instead?

By
Amy Austin Holmes

The offensive on Kurdish neighborhoods was the third wave of sectarian violence after the targeting of Druze and Alawites.


Democratic Transitions

Middle East


MENASource

Jan 13, 2026

Eight questions (and expert answers) on the SDF’s withdrawal from Syria’s Aleppo

By
Atlantic Council experts

Our experts unpack why violence erupted, what it means for Kurdish safety and integration in Syria, and how Washington is engaging.


Civil Society

Conflict


MENASource

Dec 18, 2025

Russia’s most important Middle East base is not where you think

By
Frank Talbot

Before its future in post-Assad Syria was determined, Russia was actively searching for alternative strategic relationships in the region.


Defense Policy

Libya


MENASource

Dec 8, 2025

States shouldn’t waste the chance to establish a Syria Victims Fund

By
Kate Springs, Celeste Kmiotek

A centralized fund would better support victims of international law violations in Syria, who face unique challenges.


Democratic Transitions

International Norms


MENASource

Dec 7, 2025

Syria’s civil society must take center stage in reconstruction

By
Tara Kangarlou and Merissa Khurma

One year since Bashar al-Assad’s fall, Syria stands to have the most potential to showcase how local ownership can accelerate reconstruction.


Civil Society

Middle East


MENASource

Dec 7, 2025

One year after Assad’s fall, here’s what’s needed to advance justice for Syrians

By
Elise Baker and Ahmad Helmi

The second year of a post-Assad Syria requires structural reform, victim-centered leadership, and international reinforcement.


Democratic Transitions

International Norms


MENASource

Nov 21, 2025

Syria joining the anti-ISIS coalition is a westward pivot—with opportunities and risks

By
Merissa Khurma and Giorgio Cafiero

The decision is a shift in the country’s alignment—from Russian and Iranian spheres of influence to one in NATO and GCC regional orbits.


Democratic Transitions

Middle East


MENASource

Sep 24, 2025

Is a new era of Turkey-Syria economic engagement on the horizon?

By
Ömer Özkizilcik and Levent Kemal

The convergence of Turkey's and the Gulf's economic strategies in Syria presents an opportunity for Washington.


Democratic Transitions

Middle East

Content

SyriaSource

Oct 13, 2015

ISIS’s Cup is Half Full

By Feras Hanoush

“Ali” is a former Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) fighter. Before joining ISIS, he was a university student known among his friends for his kindness and friendliness. His joining has bewildered his friends, especially since ISIS killed a close relative of his. His uncle said of him, “I was responsible for raising Ali. I know […]

Syria

SyriaSource

Oct 5, 2015

Syria: Taking the Initiative, Acquiring Some Leverage

By Frederic C. Hof

Responding to reporters’ questions on October 2, President Barack Obama made clear the inadmissibility in Syria of any US cooperation with “a Russian campaign to simply try to destroy anybody who is disgusted and fed up with Mr. Assad’s behavior.”

Iran Russia

SyriaSource

Oct 1, 2015

Russia’s Opening Salvo in Syria

By Faysal Itani

The Russian military carried out its first reported air strikes in Syria on September 30, targeting the northern suburbs of the strategically important city of Homs and the village of Lataminah further north. Russia insists that its mission in Syria is fighting the Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL), which the Russian Defense Ministry claimed was […]

Russia Syria

SyriaSource

Oct 1, 2015

Syria: Moscow Strikes, Washington Watches

By Frederic C. Hof

Four years of failed US policy toward Syria have produced alarming results that transcend the Levant. Having carefully gauged the gap between Obama administration rhetoric and action, Russian President Vladimir Putin has elected to intervene militarily to help the Assad regime defeat its non-Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) enemies.

Iran Russia

SyriaSource

Sep 28, 2015

Assessing Putin’s “Fight Them There Not Here” Strategy in Syria

By Mark N. Katz

The recent increase in Russian military involvement in Syria is widely seen as an expansion of Moscow’s influence in the Middle East. While offensive ambitions may well be present, defensive motives also appear to have played a role in Putin’s decision-making.

Russia Syria

SyriaSource

Sep 27, 2015

Syria: The Assad Conundrum

By Frederic C. Hof

Distinguished intellectual and former Obama administration official Philip Gordon has called for a fundamental Syria policy recalculation centering on the status of Bashar al-Assad. Gordon’s basic thesis is that if Washington and its partners drop their demand for preemptive victory—Bashar’s immediate departure—Iran and Russia may see their way clear to shuffling their noisome client off […]

Syria

SyriaSource

Sep 25, 2015

Slaughter In Syria: Mass Homicide And Echoes Of Bosnia

By Frederic C. Hof

Critics of presidential passivity really want hundreds of thousands of uniformed Americans thrust into a foreign war. The killings are horrific, but reflect age-old hatreds and grudges. The opposition is hapless, and it too does bad things: there are “no good guys” and the conflict itself defines complexity.

Syria

SyriaSource

Sep 21, 2015

Syria: The Sole Portal for Progress

By Frederic C. Hof

Obama administration commentary on developments in Syria plumbed new, uncharted depths on September 17, when White House spokesman Josh Earnest laid blame for the failed “train-and-equip” program on “critics” of the administration who had allegedly touted the endeavor and forced it upon the president as “the recipe for success in Syria.”

Iran Russia

SyriaSource

Sep 15, 2015

Syria: What to do About the Russian Challenge

By Frederic C. Hof

Russia’s military buildup on a Syrian airbase south of Latakia combined with the escalating hemorrhage of Syrian humanity confronts President Barack Obama’s administration with facts it has tried mightily to avoid for years: the Syrian crisis is not containable; it cannot be held at arm’s length; and it cannot be treated with mantra-like incantations about […]

Iran Russia

SyriaSource

Sep 14, 2015

Syria: Moscow Makes a Move

By Frederic C. Hof

Although the precise nature of Russia’s recent upgrading of its military presence in Syria remains largely opaque to Western eyes, one thing seems clear: Moscow has doubled-down in its support of Bashar al-Assad and the family-based Assad regime.

Iran Russia
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