Syria
Iran and Its Allies Are on the Ropes, but the Sunni Alliance Led by Turkey and Qatar Is Ascendant
If Washington Hoped to Keep Russia at Bay in Syria, That Task Is Becoming Increasingly Difficult
U.S. Special Envoy Calls for Lifting Syria Sanctions, but Concerns Grow over Ongoing Sectarian Violence and the Treatment of Minority Communities Under Al Sharaa
There Is a Broader Problem of Anti-Druze Sentiment, Espoused by Islamic State and Others, That Considers Druze to Be Legitimate Targets for Kidnapping and Killing
![Jamal Maarouf: “When Daesh [ISIS] stood as a firm stumbling block before us and prevented us from continuing the fight against Bashar’s army, we had to fight it and expel it from Idlib and its countryside, Hama countryside, Jabal al-Turkoman [in Latakia] and Aleppo countryside.” Above: Aleppo, Syria, March 12, 2016. Military convoys of the Syrian opposition forces head to fight ISIS.](https://cdn-mef.meforum.org/dims4/default/2d4d160/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3931x2948+660+0/resize/500x375!/brightness/10x0/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fk2-prod-mef.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fcd%2F92%2Fb95ba9514dbdb21456f4274a85c6%2Fsyrian-opposition-forces-03-12-2016.jpg)
A Discussion of the History of the Syrian Revolutionaries Front, the Conflict with Jabhat Al-Nusra, and How Maarouf Views the Current Situation in Syria
It Is Unlikely That These Arrests Are Random or Merely Aimed at Intimidating Local Populations
Since Late August, Virtually All Druze Armed Factions in the Southern Syrian Province of Al-Suwayda’ Have Merged Into the ‘National Guard’ Initiative Endorsed by Hikmat Al-Hijri
Syria’s President Al-Sharaa Talks of Democracy and Reform but His Government Appears Systemically Opposed to It
Barrack Approaches Middle East Diplomacy like a Business Deal
The 1980s Taught Washington a Brutal Lesson: Short-Term Partnerships with Men of Violent Conviction Can Metastasize Into Long-Term Threats
A Middle East Forum Report | Based on Information Gathered by the Middle East Forum, 2018-2024
Druze in al-Suwayda’ Call on the Government to Hold Perpetrators of Violations Against Druze Accountable if There Is Going to Be Any Real Dialogue for a Lasting Solution
A President Who Invites Foreign Intervention Against His Own Population Forfeits Any Moral Ground to Speak of His Country’s Territorial Sovereignty
Because of a Lack of Natural Resources, Suwayda, Where the Majority of Syrian Druze Live, Is the Most Impoverished Region in the Country
Property Relationships Are Organized Along Sectarian and Factional Lines and the Government Has Difficulty Moving Beyond Salafi Jihadism’s Legacy
With The Rise of Rejection of the New Syrian State Under President Ahmad Al-Sharaa Has Come the Consolidation of over 35 Druze Armed Factions Into a ‘National Guard’
As Syria Enters This New Political Phase, the United States Faces a Critical Opportunity to Help Shape a More Stable and Inclusive Future
The Violence in Sweida May Have Subsided in Recent Weeks, but Nothing Has Been Resolved. It Is Almost Certainly a Matter of Time Until the Next Round
The ‘313 Force,’ One of the Better Known Iranian-Backed Formations in Syria, Was Disbanded Some Time Before the Assad Regime Collapsed