Dear Deeply Readers,
Welcome to the archives of Syria Deeply. While we paused regular publication of the site on May 15, 2018, and transitioned some of our coverage to Peacebuilding Deeply, we are happy to serve as an ongoing public resource on the Syrian conflict. We hope you’ll enjoy the reporting and analysis that was produced by our dedicated community of editors contributors.
We continue to produce events and special projects while we explore where the on-site journalism goes next. If you’d like to reach us with feedback or ideas for collaboration you can do so at [email protected].
Exploring the government in Syria, including the Baath Party and the Assad family’s inner circle, and the various foreign and domestic forces fighting alongside President Bashar al-Assad.
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Lawyers representing the sister of a Syrian man allegedly tortured to death in 2013 files criminal complaint to Spain’s National Court in first case ever brought against Syrian officials in a Western court.
Karim El-Bar Egyptian-British Reporter/Editor for Middle East Eye
Moscow has suggested that the Syrian Arab Republic, which has been ruled by the pan-Arabist Baath party for four decades, remove ‘Arab’ from its name, writes Karim El-bar.
In the Damascus suburbs, local truces are becoming more common and usually follow long periods of siege and fighting. Though the truce rarely restores normalcy, residents are forced to accept the situation to avoid renewed fighting.
Annie Sparrow Deputy Director of the Human Rights Program, Icahn School of Medicine
The World Health Organization has become complicit in war crimes by remaining silent on the destruction of Syria’s healthcare infrastructure by the Syrian government and its allies, writes medical researcher Dr. Annie Sparrow.
A portrait of how Syria’s war has carved homes into fighting factions, told through the story of Um Mahmoud, a Damascus mother whose three sons ended up on opposing sides of the battle lines.
The Syrian government’s new and unprecedented volunteer-based military unit is a window into the current state and the future of the Syrian military, explains Syrian journalist Abdulrahman al-Masri.
As opposition factions and government forces trade blame for making major water pumps non-operational and cutting off Damascus’ water supply, millions in the capital suffer the consequences of what the U.N. are calling a war crime.
For moderate, unarmed rebels, as well as anyone wanted by the government, the rapid and brutal offensive to retake east Aleppo is a sign of what’s to come elsewhere in Syria.
A victory in Aleppo would put the Syrian regime in a potentially advantageous position to recapture the “essential Syria” – the western half of the country, writes journalist Nicholas Blanford.
As ties between Cairo and Damascus strengthen, Syrian journalist Abdulrahman al-Masri explores the factors behind possible military cooperation between Egypt and Syria and the consequences this would have both locally and regionally.
The new U.S. president wants his Syrian counterpart to stay. Journalist Annia Ciezadlo explains what that’s going to mean for the nearly half of Syrian civilians who are stranded by war.
Alexandra Tohme Program Coordinator, The Lebanese Center for Policy Studies in Beirut
The likely devastating military campaign that will follow the cease-fire in Aleppo is set to start in tandem with the U.S. presidential elections, which will dominate mainstream and social media platforms leaving Syria in the dark, writes Alexandra Tohme.
Faysal Itani Fellow, Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center
Hossam Abouzahr Editor, SyriaSource and MENASource
Atlantic Council experts Faysal Itani and Hossam Abouzahr have analyzed hundreds of Moscow’s Syria-related actions in order to piece together an analysis of the “Russia problem” facing the next White House administration.
President Bashar al-Assad needs more than a military victory to retake control of the whole of Syria. The country’s devastated economy will prevent him from achieving a total victory, writes Middle East expert Mona Alami.
Sharif Nashashibi Cofounder and Chairman, Arab Media Watch
Russia’s 11-hour ‘humanitarian pause’ to facilitate evacuations from eastern Aleppo will not allow for much-needed aid, but rather, is part of an overall strategy for a military solution to the conflict, says Middle East analyst Sharif Nashashibi.
The Syrian government’s recent tourism videos of beautiful scenery and nightlife look ludicrous to Westerners who know the brutal truth about Aleppo – but the West isn’t the intended audience for this publicity blitz.
Forces allied with the Syrian government advanced over the weekend in Aleppo, as Syrian and Russian airstrikes continued to pound rebel-held areas of Syria’s largest city.
Mona Alami Nonresident Fellow, Atlantic Council's Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East
Despite U.S. officials’ condemnation of devastating violence in Aleppo, the White House has allowed the Syrian and Russian governments to continue their scorched-earth policy in Syria’s largest city, writes the Atlantic Council’s Mona Alami.
The U.S. objective in Syria is a political solution to the conflict. But for this to be successful, it will have to account for the complex governance structures and dynamics already established across Syria, write Daniel Serwer, Rose Youhana and Katherine Preston.
Syrian artist Leila Said Hassou discusses the question that inspired her paintings in her first art exhibition in Turkey: What is at the root of extraordinary, sometimes incomprehensible, violence?
An estimated 90 people are reportedly trapped in the basement of the M2 hospital on the eastern side of Aleppo, and the M10 hospital is “out of commission” after the latest violence in Syria’s largest city.
The Damascus International Book Fair is back in the Syrian capital. But the war has taken a severe toll on the cultural event, with pro-government political books, Iranian religious literature and self-care manuals now taking center stage.
Frederic C. Hof Director, Atlantic Council's Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East
Devastating violence in Aleppo is the price to pay for the U.S. striking a deal with Russia based almost entirely on trust, writes Middle East expert Frederic C. Hof.
As the Syrian government and its allied militias evacuate mostly Sunni populations from rebel-held areas, sectarian narratives are filling the vacuum.
Frederic C. Hof and Faysal Itani Director, the Atlantic Council's Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East
Atlantic Council experts Frederic C. Hof and Faysal Itani discuss the potential outcomes of the cease-fire deal negotiated between the U.S. and Russia, highlighting that the plan’s success hinges on removing civilians from danger.
The recent ultimatum directed at the besieged city of Darayya is just one example of a larger strategy of brutal population displacement that Assad’s government will use to regain control of opposition-held Syria.
Frederic C. Hof Director, Atlantic Council's Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East
As the Syria conflict continues, the White House administration is finding it increasingly difficult to justify the policies behind its actions in the war-torn country, explains Middle East expert Frederic C. Hof.
Five years on and the Syrian army and rebel fighters continue to battle for Aleppo, Syria’s largest city. We asked three experts what needs to happen for the stalemate to end.
Fighting and airstrikes may be increasing in Aleppo, but this is not a sign that the more than four-year-old stalemate in Syria’s largest city is approaching an end.
Frederic C. Hof Director, Atlantic Council's Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East
Fighting continues in the divided city of Aleppo, where some 2 million people are at risk of coming under siege. Frederic C. Hof explains the consequences of the ongoing conflict in Syria’s largest city.
As 2 million people are at risk of coming under siege in Aleppo, researcher Will Todman speaks to Syria Deeply about the war economy that has taken hold in besieged areas across the country.
Although suffering setbacks elsewhere, rebel groups have launched an offensive in coastal Latakia in an attempt to regain Salma – a small village of huge strategic importance for targeting nearby government territories and linking supply routes to rebel-held areas.
Alexandra Tohme Program Coordinator, The Lebanese Center for Policy Studies in Beirut
The impending siege of Aleppo will have horrific ramifications for Syria, the region and global security. If the current U.S. policy in Syria does not change, the war-torn country risks falling into the hands of both Assad’s regime and the Islamic State group.
It may have been 16 years since the death of former Syrian President Hafez al-Assad, but his legacy still lives on in the war-torn country’s sectarian politics.
Whether it’s with the Free Syrian Army or the pro-government National Defense Forces militia, ISIS or the Kurds, children across the war-torn country have consistently been recruited to fight in Syria’s war.
It’s been more than a month since some 850 political detainees in Hama’s Central Prison revolted, taking guards hostage and overrunning part of the facility. Negotiations are aiming at highlighting judicial malpractice and the release of about half of the prisoners.
Damascene director and actress Nalia al-Atrash talks about the challenges of dissidence and censorship under Assad, the changing role of theater throughout the Syrian conflict, and coming to terms with a life in exile.
Demonstrations in support of civilians beaing heavy shelled by the government in the rebel-held neighborhoods of Aleppo spread to 27 cities across the globe over the weekend.
Local and international NGOs are calling for an immediate end to the escalation in fighting in Syria’s divided northern city, where violence has risen to levels not seen in months and civilian centers like hospitals, mosques and bakeries have been targeted.
Government airstrikes on the opposition-held neighborhoods of Aleppo have targeted hospitals, mosques, bakeries and rescue workers over the past week, as violence in the city escalates to levels not seen in months.
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