Bashar al-Assad

November 7, 2025 | Ahmad Sharawi |

Sharaa To Be First-Ever Syrian Leader To Visit White House

In a meeting no one could have predicted just a year ago, Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa is scheduled to visit U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington on November 10. It will be the first time a Syrian...

November 6, 2025 | Ahmad Sharawi |

United States reportedly eyes military foothold in Damascus, Syrian official denies the claim

On November 6, Reuters reported that “The United States is preparing to establish a military presence at an air base in Damascus to help enable a security pact that Washington is brokering...

October 27, 2025 | David Adesnik, Mariam Wahba, Ahmad Sharawi, David Daoud, Natalie Ecanow, Hussain Abdul-Hussain, Bridget Toomey

Patient Extremism: The Many Faces of the Muslim Brotherhood

October 22, 2025 | |

Syrian Government Launches Operation to Apprehend Wanted French Jihadist Fugitives 

Clashes Erupt Near Idlib: Syrian government forces surrounded a camp near Idlib on October 21, launching a large-scale operation to apprehend French jihadist fighters wanted by...

October 17, 2025 | Seth J. Frantzman |

SDF moves forward with integration into new Syrian security forces

The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) based in eastern Syria are taking steps to integrate into the security forces led by the Syrian transitional government in Damascus. “The Syrian government...

October 15, 2025 | |

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa Meets With Putin in Moscow

Sharaa in Russia: Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa met with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on October 15, aiming to “restore and define the nature of this relationship”...

October 15, 2025 | Ahmad Sharawi |

Buying the Hatchet

How arms deals are helping Sharaa to make up with Moscow.

October 15, 2025 | Clifford D. May |

The news from Gaza

Hamas is forced to release the hostages, and the cheering Gazans aren’t famine victims

October 14, 2025 | David Daoud |

Israeli operations in Lebanon against Hezbollah: October 6–12, 2025

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) conducted numerous operations throughout Lebanon against Hezbollah between October 6 and October 12, 2025. Activities intensified last week relative to a trend over the...

October 14, 2025 | Seth J. Frantzman |

After Gaza’s Deal, A Momentum in the Region for More Peace Stability in Syria, Lebanon?

U.S. President Donald Trump’s push for a peace deal to end the Gaza war has proven to be initially successful. He was able to bring together delegations from Qatar, Egypt, Turkey, Israel, and Hamas in...

October 8, 2025 | Clifford D. May |

Hamasniks in fox holes

They say there are no atheists in foxholes. When it comes to Hamas, that’s not reassuring. Hamas members proclaim themselves jihadis – dedicated to the proposition, clearly stated in the Hamas Charter,...

October 7, 2025 | |

‘Glorious Day of Success’: Hamas Marks October 7 Massacre Anniversary With Rocket Attack on Israeli Community

Israel Under Attack Two Years After October 7: Terrorists in Gaza launched a rocket against the southern Israeli community of Netiv Ha’Asara as residents mourned 17 of their neighbors...

October 7, 2025 | William Doran, Sinan Ciddi

Erdogan’s imagined ‘arms race’ in Cyprus

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his loyalists wasted no time last week blasting Nicosia’s purchase of Barak MX air defense systems, denouncing it as a dire threat to Turkey and its client...

October 6, 2025 | |

New Syrian Parliament Takes Shape as Local Bodies Appoint Legislators Under Post-Assad Interim Constitution

Syria Announces First Results: The Syrian authorities announced preliminary results of the first parliamentary selection process since the toppling of President Bashar al-Assad’s...

October 6, 2025 | Tzvi Kahn |

Diplomacy without pressure won’t end Iran’s nuclear program

Ottawa should insist that future talks require Tehran to dismantle its atomic program, end uranium enrichment and demolish its ballistic missiles.

October 3, 2025 | Hussain Abdul-Hussain |

Will Syria’s New President Live Up to the World’s Hope? The Signs Aren’t Good

Last week, Ahmad Sharaa became the first Syrian president in 60 years to visit New York for the UN General Assembly’s annual meeting.

October 1, 2025 | Ahmad Sharawi |

The Quiet Return of Hezbollah’s Smuggling Network in Syria

Hezbollah may not be fully up and running in Syria following the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime, but it is still seeking to take advantage of the instability in the country, along with other militant...

September 30, 2025 | Charlie Laderman, Nazee Moinian

Freedom for Iran: Learning From U.S. Support for Polish Anti-Communists in the 1980s

September 30, 2025 | Ahmad Sharawi |

Syria’s new president shows progress, but will he hold firm to his promises of peace? 

The undisputed star of this year’s United Nations General Assembly in New York was Ahmed al-Sharaa, the former al-Qaeda commander who is now the president of Syria.  Sharaa came to...

September 26, 2025 | Seth J. Frantzman |

From Pariah to Partner? Inside Syria’s Washington Comeback Bid

Syria’s transitional President Ahmed al-Shara’a and Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani travelled to Washington and New York for a week of key meetings in the third...