Syria
Syria’s Shia Find Themselves Tolerated but Subdued
The Various Components of the Iran-Led Axis of Resistance, and the Tehran Regime Itself, Remain Stronger than Their Domestic Opponents
A Partnership with the U.S.-Led Coalition Would Give Al-Sharaa Another Means to Consolidate Power and Project Legitimacy at Home and Abroad
The New Government Is either Purposely Cynical or in Naive Denial About Its Treatment of Ethnic and Sectarian Minorities
UNHCR Is Among the U.N.’s Most Irreplaceable and Cost-Effective Programs
From Assad’s Palace Perched on Mount Mezzeh, He Could See East Ghouta, a Sprawling Suburb of Multistory Apartment Buildings, and a Slum Which More than a Million Sunni Arabs Called Home
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
It Is in America’s Interest to Engage in Helping Stabilize Syria and the Greater Region
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