Syria

Syria: Blaming the Opposition

By Frederic C. Hof

Why has Bashar al-Assad been able to hang onto power in western Syria? According to Ambassador Robert Ford, there are three reasons, none of which relates to shortcomings in Western policy.

Crime and Impunity in Syria

By Frederic C. Hof

Save for the efforts of humanitarian agencies operating inside Syria and along its borders, the international community has done little but bear witness to the plight of those caught in the maelstrom. Syrians feel abandoned and hopeless.

Closing Syria’s Embassy

By Frederic C. Hof

Special Envoy for Syria Daniel Rubinstein yesterday announced that the United States had notified the Syrian government “that it must immediately suspend operations of its Embassy in Washington, DC and its honorary consulates in Troy, Michigan and Houston, Texas.”

Opportunity Arises to Test a New US Strategy in Syria

By Faysal Itani

Residents of Douma, a rebel-held city of 350,000 in the Ghouta suburbs east of Damascus, have elected a new civilian council. Against great odds—August 2013 chemical weapons attacks, and an ongoing regime siege—a civic culture has somehow survived in Douma.

Lebanon’s Neutrality Toward the Syrian Conflict

After weeks of debate that nearly collapsed the government, Lebanon’s cabinet approved a policy statement on March 14, 2014. The debate focused on Lebanon’s position on the conflict in Syria and the role and future of Hezbollah’s armed militia, over which the March 8 and March 14 alliances disagree. The conclusion of the debate and […]

Why Barrel Bombs in Syria Threaten US National Security

By Mohammed Alaa Ghanem and Shlomo Bolts

As Syria peace talks deadlock at Geneva, forces loyal to Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad have unleashed a potentially decisive military offensive that may eliminate the possibility of a political settlement.

Syria: Escaping the Policy Cul-De-Sac

By Frederic C. Hof

The collapse of the Geneva II negotiations seems to have inspired a reassessment of Syria policy within the Obama administration. The Assad regime challenges vital US interests in at least two respects: as a magnet for al-Qaeda and other transnational terrorists; and as a perpetrator of war crimes and crimes against humanity producing tsunami-like effects […]

Russia is Playing a Weak Hand Very Strongly

A regular contributor to CNN.com, Ambassador-in-Residence Michael Oren writes that in both Syria and Iran, Russia has played its relatively weak strategic hand exceedingly well and is threatening to outmaneuver the United States in the Middle East. Meanwhile, the United States has paused its effots to forge an Israeli-Palestinian peace in order to generate pressure on […]