Evan Barrett is the Deputy Director of the Syrian Emergency Task Force and a Political Advisor for the Coalition for a Democratic Syria. Before working with the Syrian-American community, he lived in Beirut and spent a significant amount of time across the border in Damascus. He is one of three people living in Washington naive enough to remain inspired by the promise of the Arab Spring. https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/contributor/evan-barrett/rss en Diplomacy & Foreign Affairs Government & Pro-Government Forces Opposition Groups & Rebel Forces Mon, 14 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000 Evan Barrett https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/community/2015/12/14/riyadhs-opposition-talks-a-potemkin-process https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/community/2015/12/14/riyadhs-opposition-talks-a-potemkin-process Despite the opposition’s relative success in Riyadh in forming a unified front against Assad, it shouldn’t allow its progress to obscure shifting international allegiances inside Syria, particularly as the West actively strengthens partnerships with groups openly hostile to the mainstream opposition. Thu, 26 Nov 2015 00:00:00 +0000 Evan Barrett https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/community/2015/11/26/as-they-say-with-friends-like-these https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/community/2015/11/26/as-they-say-with-friends-like-these For Syrian-Americans, writes Evan Barrett, racism did not begin with the attacks in Paris; nor did a sense of disappointment and betrayal start with the passing last week of a House bill that would effectively halt the resettlement program for Syrian refugees for the time being.