Choose the Druze
Syria’s endangered minorities deserve protection
Bashar al-Assad
Can Syria’s President Control His Troops?
After two massacres by government forces, the U.S. should turn up the heat.
Op-eds
Replacing Iran with Turkey Is a Recipe for Disaster in Syria
The Syrian revolution was not an uprising for liberty, freedom, or democracy. It was a manifestation of Sunni Islamists, backed by Turkey and Qatar, venting their rage against the rule of Assad, supported...
Op-eds
Syria’s Parliamentary “Elections” Are a Charade
Parliamentary elections in Syria will take place in September, Damascus announced on July 27 — but the people will not vote and presidential appointees will choose the winners. Interim President Ahmad...
Policy Briefs
Syrian Druze are not entitled to self-determination, and Kurds cannot yet pursue secession
Syria is a patchwork of identities, par for the course in a region where novel nationalities vie with tribe and religion for the citizenry’s loyalty. For most of the country’s history, the Assad family...
Op-eds
U.S. Must Apply Pressure to Prevent Turkish Military Intervention in Syria
Syria after Bashar al-Assad is a country in chaos, but that does not mean it cannot get worse. One way that could happen would be a direct Turkish military intervention. Unfortunately, that is exactly...
Policy Briefs
Erdogan and Shara’s “Sunnification” Project
The recent sectarian violence shows that the Syrian government and its Turkish backers share a dangerous vision of a Sunni-dominant state.
Op-eds
New head of anti-Islamic State mission in Iraq and Syria takes command
Brigadier General Kevin Lambert took over as the new commander of the anti-Islamic State coalition of Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR) in a ceremony in Iraq on...
Op-eds
Clashes intensify between Arab Bedouin tribes and Druze militias in Suwayda, Syria
Tensions in the Syrian governorate of Suwayda continue to rise following clashes between government forces and Druze militias affiliated with prominent Druze leader Hikmat al Hijri between July 14 and...
Op-eds
The Druze Test: A Deep Dive into Why Israel is Bombing Syria Again
Israel’s Druze Test in Syria On July 16, the Israel Defense Forces carried out airstrikes in the heart of Damascus. The IDF said it had targeted Syria’s military headquarters and...
Op-eds
Assad’s Narco-Trade Lives on in Lebanon
The Lebanese Army busted a major narcotics factory. On July 13, Lebanese forces raided a facility in Baalbek used to produce the synthetic, amphetamine-like drug captagon. The army dismantled approximately...
Policy Briefs
EU Sanctions Tehran’s Transnational Repression Network
Tehran’s global terror apparatus has triggered an important European response. On July 15, the European Union (EU) Council designated the network of narco-trafficker Naji Ibrahim Sharifi Zindashti and...
Policy Briefs
Syria Acts To Adhere to Chemical Weapons Convention, While Russia Doubles Down on Non-Compliance
Syria has taken key steps to eliminate its chemical weapons assets — but Russia has actually used its own stockpiles against Ukraine. That was the conclusion of the Organization for the Prohibition of...
Policy Briefs
Israel intensifies airstrikes on Syria to deter attacks on Druze
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) conducted strikes near the Syrian Presidential Palace and targeting the Syrian government’s military headquarters in Damascus, the Israeli military said on July...
Op-eds
At Least 30 People Killed in Clashes Between Druze, Bedouin Militias in Syria
Druze-Bedouin Clashes Erupt After Merchant Abducted: At least 30 people have been killed in ongoing clashes in southern Syria between Sunni Bedouin tribes and Druze militias after...
Flash Briefs
Ahmed Al-Shara’s Foreign Jihadist Problem
The man President Donald Trump hailed as a “tough guy” who will bring stability to Syria is empowering extremists tied to Al Qaeda.
Op-eds
Dismissal of Kurdish Concerns Threatens Syrian Unity Deal
“One Syria, One Army, One Government,” declared Damascus following a July 9 meeting between Syrian Interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, U.S. envoy Tom Barrack, and Mazloum Abdi, the leader of the Kurdish-led...
Policy Briefs
Israel and Syria Should Prioritize Security Cooperation
Pushing too hard for a peace deal could come at the expense of more pragmatic action against shared threats.
Op-eds
Netanyahu’s gift to Trump marks a ‘historic horizon’ for Mideast peace
When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited President Donald Trump at the White House Monday, he celebrated his country’s victory over the Islamic Republic of Iran — after a brief but intense...
Op-eds
Israeli forces raid Iran-backed cell in Syria for second time
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) conducted a raid targeting “a cell that was operated by the Iranian ‘Quds’ Force in the Tel Kudna area of southern Syria,” the Israeli military said on...