Lifting Sanctions on Syrian Regime Is a Grave Mistake
At a future point, many will ask an obvious question: why did the United States and Europe lift sanctions on Syria? The question will come after the likely fall of the Ahmed...
Syrian National Army
Trump Tells Syria to Expel Foreign Fighters, But Sharaa Gives Them Army Divisions
“Tell all foreign terrorists to leave Syria,” President Donald Trump told interim leader Ahmad al-Sharaa in Riyadh on May 14 — just after lifting all U.S. sanctions on Syria. Yet on May 18, Syria’s...
Policy Briefs
From Wanted to Welcomed: Trump Meets Syria’s Ahmad al-Sharaa
“I will be ordering the cessation of sanctions against Syria in order to give them a chance at greatness,” said President Donald Trump on May 13 during a speech at an investment forum in Riyadh at...
Policy Briefs
Turkey’s Rising Influence in Post-Assad Syria
“You’ve taken it over through surrogates,” Donald Trump says he told Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, acknowledging Turkey’s deepening role in Syria. Syria’s interim president, Ahmad al-Sharaa,...
Policy Briefs
Turkey increasing military assistance to Syria
Reports circulating on Syrian social media claim that Syrian interim President Ahmad al Sharaa is planning a visit to meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to finalize a defense and military agreement between the two countries.
Op-eds
Massacres in Syria Expose New President’s Struggle to Govern
Hundreds of fighters and hundreds more civilians are dead following the bloodiest clashes yet between the new Syrian government and militias loyal to the fallen regime of Bashar al-Assad. On March 6,...
Policy Briefs
Why did Syria’s Kurds sign a deal with the new regime?
On March 10, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) signed an agreement with Syria’s interim government, integrating the SDF’s 100,000-strong, predominantly Kurdish force into the new Syrian...
Op-eds
Bridging the Gap
Turkey Between East and West
Congressional Testimonies
Can Syria Survive?
On February 25, Syria held a National Dialogue Conference, which is supposed to help the country come together after years of civil war and the toppling of the Assad regime. Syria’s new president,...
Op-eds
10 Things to Know About Turkey’s Interventions and Influence in Syria
Turkey intends to position itself as the most influential foreign actor in Syria. Following the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011, Turkey built close ties with jihadist militias fighting Bashar...
Insights
Profiles of foreign commanders in the new Syrian army
The new Syrian administration has announced the disbandment of the Bashar al Assad regime’s Syrian Arab Army and confirmed the integration of multiple rebel groups into a unified military under...
Op-eds
Syrian government forces enter Afrin, signaling a change in control
Forces from Syria’s General Security Department entered the northwestern Syrian city of Afrin on February 6, the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported.
Op-eds
The strategic Tishrin Dam has become a flashpoint in post-Assad Syria
The Tishrin Dam on the Euphrates River in Syria has become a key point of conflict in the country’s post-Assad era. Since the fall of dictator Bashar al Assad’s regime on December 8, the dam has been...
Op-eds
Turkey and HTS: A New Era of Extremism in Syria?
Following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government in December 2023, Syria is now controlled by an alliance of opposition groups led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). While there has...
Op-eds
Trump can’t leave Syria to others
After the fall of Bashar Assad‘s regime in Syria, the incoming Trump administration faces a complex set of challenges. Despite President-elect Donald Trump’s promise to reduce U.S....
Op-eds
Turkey Pushing for ‘Elimination’ of Kurdish-Led, U.S.-Allied Syrian Democratic Forces
Clashes Intensify Between SDF and SNA over Tishrin Dam: Clashes have escalated between the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) and the U.S.-allied and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic...
Flash Briefs
Profiles of the new Syrian military leadership, part 2
Beginning on Friday, January 3, the newly appointed minister of defense of the Syrian Interim Government, Murhef Abu Qasra, initiated a series of meetings with leaders of armed factions to discuss integrating...
Op-eds
Syria Is At A Crossroads. What’s At Stake Now?
Can the new government stabilize the country? Additionally, can Washington make sure it doesn’t miss an opportunity to leverage a decade of work with the Kurds and other partners?
Op-eds
‘Slip of the Tongue’: Turkey Denies Ceasefire Deal with Kurds, as Erdogan Teases Expansionism
Turkey Denies Ceasefire With U.S.-Backed Syrian Forces: Turkey’s Defense Ministry denied on December 19 that it had agreed to a U.S.-brokered ceasefire deal with the Kurdish-led...
Flash Briefs
Who will form the core of Jolani’s unified army?
Ahmad al Sharaa, the leader of Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS), commonly known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammad al Jolani, has unveiled a vision for post-Assad Syria. With HTS assuming control in the aftermath...