Druze

Trading Away Lebanon: Washington’s Bargains at Beirut’s Expense

For the fifth time since 1958, the U.S. has placed Lebanon on the bargaining table, this time ready to sacrifice the country’s interests in pursuit of a deal with Iran.

Turkey’s Hejaz Railway Revival Is a Bid To Undermine Israel’s Regional Role

 A railway originally built by the Ottoman Empire to project power across the Arab world is receiving a second lease on life as Turkey launches its latest bid to become the Middle East’s logistics...

Don’t Invite Syria Back Into Lebanon

Washington is contemplating the one thing that could rally Lebanese around Hezbollah.

Syria holds elections in Kurdish-majority areas, finds Assad-era chemical weapons

Syria held elections in Kurdish-majority areas of the country on May 24, with some politicians and commentators criticizing them for not being representative. Days after the local elections,...

Political Exclusion of Syrian Kurds Threatens SDF-Damascus Deal

A dispute over Kurdish political representation and cultural rights is emerging as the primary fault line in the Syrian government’s process of integration with the Kurdish-run semi-autonomous region...

Jordanian Warplanes Strike Drug Traffickers in Southern Syria, Where Damascus Exerts Little Control

In an operation codenamed “Jordanian Deterrence,” Amman’s fighter jets carried out strikes on at least five separate locations in the Syrian governorate of Suwayda on May 2, targeting “sites belonging...

Syria’s First Trial of Assad-Era Figure Signals Progress, but Accountability Still Falls Short

The first public trial of officials associated with former President Bashar al-Assad’s regime opened in Damascus on April 26. The defendant is Atef Najib, Assad’s cousin and former head of the intelligence...

Qatar Influence Operations: Unmasking a Suspected Network

All quiet on the Lebanese front? 

Hezbollah is not just Israel’s enemy

Plot to Kill Damascus Rabbi Highlights Hezbollah’s Goal To Destabilize Syria

During former dictator Bashar al-Assad’s rule, Hezbollah used Syria as a launchpad for weapons smuggling into Lebanon. Today, even after the fall of Assad’s regime, the group is still working to destabilize...

Syria focuses on diplomacy amid Iran war

On April 9, Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Asaad Hassan al Shaibani traveled to Turkey, where he met with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. It was Damascus’s second meeting with...

The Lebanese Army Goes Rogue

The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), under its commander Rodolphe Haykal, has defied the state it is sworn to serve, effectively siding with Hezbollah at a moment when Lebanon teeters on the edge of the abyss. After...

Prisoner Exchange Between Central Government and Druze Factions is an Opportunity To Cement Stability in Syria

After the July 2025 Syrian government offensive in the south of the country that resulted in the deaths of at least 1,000 members of the Druze minority, reconciliation between Damascus and the Druze appeared...

For a Better Druze Future, Jumblatt Needs New Ideas

Walid Jumblatt, Lebanon’s most seasoned and cunning political operator, has navigated every twist of the country’s turmoil since taking the reins of the Druze community in 1977. Convinced that his...

A Month of Crisis in Syria and Its Regional Ramifications

Syria has experienced another dramatic transformation. After a month of clashes that began in Aleppo and spread to eastern Syria, Damascus announced on January 30 that it had reached an agreement with...

Third Time Lucky? Syrian Government and Kurdish-Led SDF Announce Latest Agreement

An escalation of conflict in northeastern Syria has been averted, at least for now. But questions persist over whether the disputes that sparked the recent offensive by Syrian government troops against...

The persistence of Israel’s ‘Periphery Doctrine’

The burgeoning relationship between Somaliland and Israel proves that the Jewish state is not hated and isolated in the region, despite the neighboring cluster of authoritarian states insisting otherwise.

Israeli Foreign Minister Follows up Recognition of Somaliland With Historic Visit

Latest Developments Sa’ar in Somaliland: Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar traveled to Somaliland on January 6, the first official diplomatic visit since Israel recognized the East African...

The US’ Syria Bet Just Turned Deadly

Despite lifting sanctions, Washington has failed to arrest radicalization within the Syrian government.

Lebanon Must Become Independent of Saudi Arabia Too

If Lebanon’s Shia are to finally divorce Iran and reclaim patriotism for their nation, other sects must also place Lebanon’s national interests above the diktats of foreign patrons. That means the...