Syria
If the State Vets Fighters Without Dismantling Their Networks, the Militia Eventually Will Capture the Institution from Within
Mazloum Abdi’s Surrender Ends the Kurdish Military Experiment and Consolidates Power Under Ahmed al-Sharaa
The New Reality Offers Little Prospect for a Decentralized System in Which Kurds Could Exercise Self-Governance
A New Generation Is Growing up Blind to the Diversity Their Region Once Enjoyed and Susceptible to Propaganda
Membership in the Alliance Now Would Be Largely Cosmetic, While Affirming Damascus’s Subordination to Other Members
History Confirms That Only a Direct Display of Force Can Compel Arab Capitals to Reconsider Hostility to Israel
A New Israeli Doctrine Takes Shape across the Northern Front
Striking Assad Would Embarrass Putin and Shake the Air of Invincibility That He Seeks to Construct
Even the Suggestion of Another Syrian Military Presence in Lebanon Could Inflame Political and Sectarian Tensions
Syria Is Home to Thousands of Foreign Jihadist Fighters, Many of Whom Have Been Integrated Into the New Military Structure
Few Kurds Are Likely to Feel Safe Returning as Long as the Current Security Conditions Remain Unchanged
Sharaa’s Elevation from International Terrorist to Diplomatic Partner Is the Most Sophisticated Mutation of Salafi-Jihadist Ideology in the Modern Era
In This Emergent Bloc, Turkey, Qatar, and Pakistan Are the Core Players
The U.S.-Iran Memorandum Signed Last Month Left the Middle East’s Core Conflicts Unsettled
The Government’s Recent Erasure of the Homs Shia Village of Mazra’a, Located West of Homs City, Is the Latest Example of Problems Faced by the Shia in Homs
In Nubl and al-Zahara’, Private Mourning Continues While Public Religious Displays Remain Curtailed and Sectarian Reconciliation Remains Distant
Syria’s New Publication Rules Draw From Assad-Era Laws, Punish Criticism Inconsistently, and Leave Sectarian Incitement Largely Unchecked
The Company Carries Influence Since It Would Bring a U.S. Major Into a Sector That Washington Has Viewed as Off-Limits
A Revived Line Would Connect Turkish Industry to Arab Markets, Boost North-South Trade, and Complement Other Projects
Syria Remains Deeply Divided Along Ethnic Lines, with a Series of Ongoing ‘Cold Wars’ Underway Between Minority Communities and the New Sunni Arab Authorities