The Heart Attacks Fueling Suspicion in Syria
When a commander in the Syrian army’s 52nd Division died in March, a Syrian Telegram channel announced the news in the language of an ordinary obituary: Nader Mutlaq, better known as Abu Hatem...
Ahmed al-Sharaa
Syria Is Off the Terror List, but Washington Still Has Leverage
US President Donald Trump has fulfilled the promise he made to Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa in May 2025, to give Syrians “a chance at greatness.” At the end of August of this year, Trump...
Op-eds
5 Things To Know About Turkey’s Relationship with Syria
Turkey has emerged as one of the leading patrons of Syria’s new government under President Ahmad al-Sharaa, following the December 2024 fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Ankara had built ties with...
Insights
Turning a Page on Syria’s Proliferation Past
“We are now turning a page … Turning a page does not mean forgetting the past; it means just the opposite — which is confronting it, confronting it with eyes wide open,” declared Rafael...
Op-eds
US rescinds Syria’s designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism
On August 24, the US rescinded Syria’s designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism. “I congratulate the Syrian people on the official removal of Syria’s name from the list of state sponsors...
Op-eds
Syria-Israel Talks Will Face a Turkish Test
Syria and Israel are back at the negotiating table after a seven-month pause in talks over a potential security agreement. On August 23, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani met with Mossad Director...
Policy Briefs
Syria’s Nuclear Saga Needs a Clean Ending
The U.S. should insist on full removal of the material, no further nuclear program and Syria’s signature to the IAEA’s Additional Protocol.
Op-eds
Ankara occupies Syria and then lectures Israel about sovereignty
A NATO member that refuses to designate Hamas, hosts its leadership does not get to lecture a state which has legitimate terrorism concerns.
Op-eds
Israel Is Drawing the Line Against Turkey in Syria
For the first time since March, Israeli jets struck deep inside Syria on August 18, targeting the Abu Duhur airbase in Idlib governorate, roughly 70 kilometers south of the Turkish border. According to...
Policy Briefs
Israel strikes military airbase in Syria while warning Turkey
Israel conducted airstrikes on the Abu al Duhur military airport in northern Syria during the evening of August 17–18. Syria condemned the strikes as a violation of its sovereignty,...
Op-eds
Syria Agrees To Turn Over Assad-Era Nuclear Material
Syria has reportedly agreed to turn over nuclear material — remnants of the Assad regime’s clandestine nuclear program — to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) under a U.S.-brokered deal. According...
Policy Briefs
In Syria, Selective Prosecution of War Crimes Fosters Disunity
For nearly a quarter-century, former Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad presided over a repressive system that tortured and killed Syrians with little expectation that he would ever answer for its crimes. That...
Policy Briefs
Pragmatism Could Draw Syria and Hezbollah Into an Accommodation
During the Syrian civil war, Hezbollah spent years fighting the factions now ruling Damascus. Now, even as Damascus intercepts the group’s weapons and disrupts its supply routes, Hezbollah’s Secretary...
Policy Briefs
Syria’s Break With Russia Must Go Beyond Oil
Syria’s current leaders and Russia once stood on opposite sides of the battlefield. Yet since the overthrow of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Moscow’s longtime ally during the Syrian civil...
Policy Briefs
Countering Hezbollah Could Bring Syria and Israel Closer
“Syria is seeking a security agreement with Israel,” Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa said in an interview with the Qatari-owned Al Jazeera on July 26. A successful agreement, he added, could...
Policy Briefs
Turkey’s Cautious Bid for Regional Power
The difference in how Turkey treats Greece and Israel illustrates its diplomatic and military strategy.
Op-eds
Syria’s leader charms the world, crushes the Druze. Israel should be wary
Sharaa seems to be a pragmatic diplomat, but before pursuing warmer ties, Jerusalem needs guarantees that he will stop repressing his minority citizens
Op-eds
Why Lebanon’s Pilot Zones Matter at the Trump-Aoun Summit
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun’s meeting this week with U.S. President Donald Trump offers Washington an important opportunity to press Beirut to implement pilot zones in southern Lebanon designed...
Op-eds
Washington Is Starting to Treat Syria and Iraq as One Policy
In recent weeks, Syria and Iraq have positioned themselves to be key players in a new Middle Eastern order. Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi was in Washington to meet U.S. President Donald Trump...
Op-eds
As the Shia Crescent Wanes, Aoun Stakes Lebanon’s Future on Washington
As Iran’s once-expanding “Shia Crescent” of influence across Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen wanes, a new American-led regional order is emerging. Ahead of his first visit to the White House, Lebanese...