Articles

After 2016, actors on the ground in Syria established various zones of control throughout the country. The regime, which was on the verge of collapse, was able to recover with the support of Russia, Iran, and Shiite militia groups, leading it to reclaim many of the places that were captured by the opposition.

Since 2015, Russia has had a significant military as well as political presence in Syria and remains the key guarantor of the Assad Regime. Yet with the war in Ukraine, Russia has been dealt a severe blow to its military capabilities and has been shunned even by some of its closest allies, leading to isolation on the world stage...

The situation in Syria continues to haunt the lives of so many, inside and outside of Syria. When and how the crisis will come to an end, and whether stability and lasting peace will prevail, is currently unknown. In the 11 years since the crisis in Syria began, much has changed. But, looking at it today, the lines of the conflict remain the same.

The themes of division and unity are central to discussions about Syria and the Syrian revolution. If society’s fragmentation has been, on one hand, an important cornerstone of Baathist – namely Assadist – rule, many wonder if the lack of unity among revolutionaries was the main reason for their setbacks and defeats.

After all the diplomacy, including several meetings and telephone conversations, does Türkiye finally have the support of the actors on the ground to move forward with its operation in Northern Syria? It would be premature to say so. But, as several Turkish officials have reiterated, Türkiye does not require approval of any sort...

This scandal is symptomatic of how no effort has been made yet to hold the Assad regime and its allies Russia and Iran accountable for these atrocities, some of the worst committed since the Second World War. The cost of that indifference is being paid every day by civilians in Ukraine who are being slaughtered and terrorized by Putin’s commanders, who in their turn are using the war there to enhance their skills in terrorist style warfare against civilians in Syria. Western countries are emboldening Assad by not making him accountable for mass slaughter. If he is not being pursued for his war crimes why should he be worried about producing and trading in Captagon on an industrial scale?

With no agreement reached the mandate of the mechanism expired as of July 10. A similar situation occurred two years ago, and the UNSC worked to find a solution. This time again a settlement was reached. However, the US, the UK and France abstained. Contrary to the previous Resolutions, the new one extends the mandate only for a six months period. Something most UNSC members and NGOs were against because of difficulties that might arise from the planning and the timely delivery of aid, as well as the challenges faced in finding an alternative way of sending aid in such a short period...

As part of its campaign to fight ISIS in Syria and Iraq, the U.S. maintains a minor military presence in north-east Syria. This presence is very small in terms of the number of soldiers deployed and the size of the military bases that exist in the area. The overt purpose behind this deployment, according to US officials, was to counter ISIS and make sure that Syrian territories would not be a safe haven for terrorists