Policy Analysis

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  • Policy Analysis
    SyriaDemocracy and Governance

    The Shrinking Space for Kurdish Autonomy in Syria

    Feb 26, 2026Gregory Aftandilian

    In January 2026, clashes between Syrian government forces and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) resulted in Damascus regaining large parts of territory that h…

  • Policy Analysis
    SyriaDemocracy and Governance

    Syria’s New Order: Centralization by External Consent

    Jan 29, 2026Salim Çevik

    On January 8, 2026, Syrian interim government forces moved into two neighborhoods in Aleppo controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the US-backed coa…

  • Policy Analysis
    SyriaDemocracy and Governance

    Prospects for Syria’s Democratization Under Ahmed al-Sharaa

    Nov 21, 2025Patricia Karam

    The spectacular and unforeseen fall of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024 upended Syria’s political order and launched a precarious transition. Ahmed al-Sharaa o…

  • Policy Analysis
    SyriaDemocracy and Governance

    Syria’s Fragile Integration: The SDF Joins the Army but Autonomy Remains Elusive

    Nov 5, 2025Gregory Aftandilian

    An October 2025 deal between Damascus and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)—which are linked to the Kurdish-dominated autonomous administration in the northea…

  • Policy Analysis
    SyriaGlobal Health and Health Policy

    From Syria to Sudan: How Captagon Fuels Instability

    Sep 26, 2025Gregory Aftandilian

    Syria’s former Assad regime was the primary producer and chief beneficiary of the Captagon drug trade. Although the new Syrian government led by interim presid…

  • Policy Analysis
    LebanonEnergy and Economics

    Can Lebanon Be a Hub for Syria’s Reconstruction?

    Sep 24, 2025Patricia Karam

    Nearly a year after the end of Syria’s civil war and the fall of the Assad dictatorship, the country has embarked on a long and complex reconstruction process.…

  • Policy Analysis
    LebanonRegional Relations and Geopolitics

    Rumors and Risks: Lebanon’s Political Anxieties and Relations with the New Syria

    Aug 12, 2025Patricia Karam

    In May 2025, Syria’s transitional President, Ahmed al-Sharaa, confirmed that his government was in indirect communication with Israel, the first time the two s…

  • Policy Analysis
    TurkeyRegional Relations and Geopolitics

    Moderation Without Transformation: Why Turkey Is Failing Syria’s Postwar Transition

    Aug 8, 2025Salim Çevik

    After years of investing in Syria’s opposition, Ankara is committed to see the emerging government in Damascus establish a functioning state that can restore b…

  • Policy Analysis
    Saudi ArabiaRegional Relations and Geopolitics

    Saudi Arabia and the New Syria: Constructive Pragmatism?

    Aug 7, 2025Kristian Coates Ulrichsen

    A large Saudi business delegation traveled to Syria on July 23-25, 2025, and participated in an inaugural Syrian-Saudi Investment Forum at the presidential pal…

  • Policy Analysis
    LevantIdentity Politics and Sectarianization

    From Sectarianism to Tribalism: Rebuilding Syria’s Power Structures

    Aug 6, 2025Haian Dukhan

    The July 13–18, 2025 violence between Druze and Bedouin in Syria’s southern al-Suwayda governorate was followed by a massive wave of tribal mobilization across…

  • Policy Analysis
    SyriaMigrants, Refugees, and IDPs

    Refugees Return to Syria: Challenges and Uncertainties

    Aug 1, 2025Heba Gowayed

    Globally the human displacement crisis has reached unprecedented heights, with one in every 67 people forced from their homes. During its 14 long years of civi…

  • Policy Analysis
    SyriaUS Foreign Policy

    Lifting US Sanctions on Syria: A New Chapter for Damascus and Beirut?

    Jul 18, 2025Patricia Karam

    In a May 13, 2025, speech in Riyadh, President Donald Trump surprised the world by pledging to lift all US sanctions on Syria. Trump’s unexpected announcement …

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