Features, analysis and in-depth coverage from Syria Deeply’s network of on-the-ground and remote correspondents and individual voices from Syria. https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/series/safe-zones/rss en Diplomacy & Foreign Affairs Government & Pro-Government Forces Tue, 06 Feb 2018 14:00:00 +0000 Hashem Osseiran https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/articles/2018/02/06/how-de-escalation-zones-in-syria-became-a-war-management-strategy https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/articles/2018/02/06/how-de-escalation-zones-in-syria-became-a-war-management-strategy Nine months into the de-escalation agreement, the deal has helped the Syrian government seize additional territory and widen its control rather than reduce violence in the designated areas, experts said. Diplomacy & Foreign Affairs Displacement Thu, 31 Aug 2017 06:43:27 +0000 Tomás Pfeffer, Kim Bode https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/community/2017/08/31/seven-experts-to-watch-on-de-escalation-zones-in-syria https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/community/2017/08/31/seven-experts-to-watch-on-de-escalation-zones-in-syria As part of our ‘Experts to Watch’ series, we highlight seven experts monitoring the proposals for safe zones in Syria and the foreign powers pushing for their creation. Diplomacy & Foreign Affairs Solutions Fri, 18 Aug 2017 10:51:34 +0000 Kim Bode, Alessandria Masi https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/community/2017/08/18/expert-views-does-a-unified-syria-contradict-de-escalation-zones https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/community/2017/08/18/expert-views-does-a-unified-syria-contradict-de-escalation-zones Syria Deeply’s expert community weighed in on Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s recent remarks about working with Russia to create a “unified Syria,” and whether or not this contradicts Moscow’s de-escalation zone proposal. Diplomacy & Foreign Affairs ISIS Mon, 10 Jul 2017 07:12:59 +0000 Neil Hauer https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/community/2017/07/10/how-russia-and-turkey-are-converging-on-idlib https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/community/2017/07/10/how-russia-and-turkey-are-converging-on-idlib There is growing common ground between Russia and former Assad opponent Turkey on enforcing a de-escalation zone in the northern rebel enclave of Idlib province, writes intelligence analyst Neil Hauer. Diplomacy & Foreign Affairs Government & Pro-Government Forces Thu, 29 Jun 2017 10:22:18 +0000 Anthony Elghossain https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/community/2017/06/29/the-disappointments-of-de-escalation-and-decentralization https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/community/2017/06/29/the-disappointments-of-de-escalation-and-decentralization The Syrian state will try to ensure de-escalation and decentralization do not undermine its control over a “Strategic Syria.” For these Western strategies to become solutions for Syrians, officials must make programs viable, says lawyer and writer Anthony Elghossain. Civil Society Diplomacy & Foreign Affairs Fri, 23 Jun 2017 10:56:01 +0000 Nawar Oliver, Housen Akoush https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/articles/2017/06/23/analysis-the-battlefield-in-syrias-southernmost-city-daraa https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/articles/2017/06/23/analysis-the-battlefield-in-syrias-southernmost-city-daraa In recent weeks Daraa has witnessed the most intense clashes and aerial bombardments it has seen for years. Despite the plan for “de-escalation zones,” civilians in the city are likely to be caught in the newest battlefield for foreign power proxies and the warring Syrian sides. Diplomacy & Foreign Affairs Thu, 15 Jun 2017 12:50:53 +0000 Nour Samaha https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/articles/2017/06/15/long-read-israels-quiet-campaign-to-gain-a-foothold-in-southern-syria https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/articles/2017/06/15/long-read-israels-quiet-campaign-to-gain-a-foothold-in-southern-syria Despite its official policy of non-intervention, Israel has taken on a very proactive role in Syria, working to establish an Israel-friendly zone in Quneitra, akin to its strategy in southern Lebanon during the Lebanese civil war. Diplomacy & Foreign Affairs Fri, 09 Jun 2017 12:07:47 +0000 Neil Hauer https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/community/2017/06/09/how-russia-can-secure-the-de-escalation-zones-in-syria https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/community/2017/06/09/how-russia-can-secure-the-de-escalation-zones-in-syria Neil Hauer, senior intelligence analyst at the SecDev Group, examines Russia’s primary option to secure the “de-escalation zones” and ensure compliance with the cease-fire: the Chechen units of the Kremlin’s military police. Displacement Human Rights Fri, 09 Jun 2017 11:23:40 +0000 Anna Magdalena Rüsch, Geoff Gilbert https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/community/2017/06/09/safe-zones-must-offer-protection-not-solely-prevent-search-for-asylum https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/community/2017/06/09/safe-zones-must-offer-protection-not-solely-prevent-search-for-asylum In today’s conflicts, safe zones cannot realistically provide the security guaranteed to civilians under international law and should not be proposed as a substitute for asylum in another country, according to the Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law. Diplomacy & Foreign Affairs Wed, 17 May 2017 13:09:07 +0000 Lorenzo Trombetta https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/articles/2017/05/17/how-the-de-escalation-zone-plan-benefits-syrias-foreign-players https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/articles/2017/05/17/how-the-de-escalation-zone-plan-benefits-syrias-foreign-players ‘De-escalation zones’ are at the forefront of the current Geneva peace talks. Russia has tailored them to the geopolitical needs of nearly every stakeholder involved in the crisis, effectively resulting in a partition of western Syria, writes analyst Lorenzo Trombetta. Diplomacy & Foreign Affairs Mon, 08 May 2017 13:22:55 +0000 Aron Lund https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/community/2017/05/08/de-escalation-zones-unlikely-to-entirely-wind-down-the-war-in-syria https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/community/2017/05/08/de-escalation-zones-unlikely-to-entirely-wind-down-the-war-in-syria As Russia’s ‘de-escalation’ plan comes into effect in four areas of the country, Syria expert Aron Lund explains in IRIN News why the Astana deal may not result in a lasting cease-fire. Diplomacy & Foreign Affairs Displacement Mon, 13 Mar 2017 12:48:31 +0000 Lorenzo Trombetta https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/articles/2017/03/13/analysis-de-facto-safe-zones-already-exist-along-syrias-borders https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/articles/2017/03/13/analysis-de-facto-safe-zones-already-exist-along-syrias-borders As foreign powers call for safe zones in Syria, analyst Lorenzo Trombetta explains that de facto zones of control have already been established. However, they are part of a strategy to further political and military goals rather than a method of civilian protection. Diplomacy & Foreign Affairs Government & Pro-Government Forces Tue, 07 Mar 2017 08:47:49 +0000 Abdulrahman al-Masri https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/articles/2017/03/07/analysis-safe-zone-on-lebanon-border-would-benefit-hezbollah-iran https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/articles/2017/03/07/analysis-safe-zone-on-lebanon-border-would-benefit-hezbollah-iran Following Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah’s call for a safe zone in Syria along the Lebanese border, Syrian journalist Abdulrahman al-Masri explores what the Shiite militia stands to gain from such an area and the potential impact on regional powers. Diplomacy & Foreign Affairs Displacement ISIS Fri, 03 Mar 2017 12:23:18 +0000 Alessandria Masi https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/community/2017/03/03/fragmentation-could-threaten-safe-zone-plans-syrian-military-expert https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/community/2017/03/03/fragmentation-could-threaten-safe-zone-plans-syrian-military-expert Syrian military expert Nawar Oliver discusses the challenges facing potential plans for safe zones in Syria, particularly threats from ISIS sleeper cells and the complex divisions on all sides of the conflict. Diplomacy & Foreign Affairs Fri, 17 Feb 2017 14:19:56 +0000 Alessandria Masi https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/community/2017/02/17/safe-zones-are-a-great-messaging-tool-but-unlikely-to-end-the-war https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/community/2017/02/17/safe-zones-are-a-great-messaging-tool-but-unlikely-to-end-the-war Christopher Kozak, a Syria analyst at the Institute for the Study of War, discusses the larger strategy for Donald Trump’s possible safe zones in Syria, and the challenges of partnering with certain allies in the region. Thu, 09 Feb 2017 07:47:48 +0000 Lizzie Porter https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/articles/2017/02/09/syrian-safety-is-an-unlikely-priority-in-trumps-plan-for-safe-zones https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/articles/2017/02/09/syrian-safety-is-an-unlikely-priority-in-trumps-plan-for-safe-zones Several big questions remain about President Donald Trump’s possible policy for safe zones in Syria, but any plan will shift the dynamics of the conflict and risks creating deeper divisions in the country’s political and social landscape.