Syria Remains at a Dangerous Crossroads
The recent removal of Bashar al-Assad’s regime creates two divergent paths for Syria, one of freedom, and the other that embodies an all too familiar authoritarian style of governance
Tag: Syria
Syria is the Middle East’s Hinge, but Which Way Will It Turn?
The demise of the Syrian dictator has put the country on the precipice of the chaos and instability other countries experienced since the Arab uprisings. But there is a glimmer of hope that Syria can buck the trend and instead embrace tolerance, plurality, and security
World Refugee Day Highlights Growing Challenges
The growing rate of refugees across the globe constitutes an international crisis. Supporting these displaced people requires acknowledging the consequences of conflict and building resilient frameworks to protect refugee rights
Climate Change, Conflict, and Gender Inequality in the MENA Region
Climate change—in the absence of legal and social protections—works as a threat multiplier that perpetuates gender inequalities and worsens socio-economic injustices in the MENA region
The 1973 War and its Aftermath: The View from Damascus
Syrian gains in the conflict were elusive as a unilateral strategic move from the Egyptians put them in jeopardy
From Cold War to Regional Reconciliation: The New Pragmatism in the Middle East
The new pragmatism in the Middle East is leading to a regional reconciliation process that, though some critics doubt it, is showing signs that it can sustain itself in the near future.
Through the Looking Glass: Syria and Lebanon
Parallel and interdependent crises in Syria and Lebanon undermine domestic and regional progress.
Syria: The Illusive Settlement Part 2
Resolving the Syrian conflict offers an opportunity to bring stability to the Middle East, but only if compromises can be made, starting with UN resolution 2254.
Syria: The Illusive Settlement
The best way to describe the current Syrian quandary is to borrow from Winston Churchill’s assessment of what he considered the complex nature of the former Soviet Union: popular grievances wrapped in regional rivalries inside big power competition.
Why the Phrase “Arab Spring” Should be Retired
It’s time to stop using a Western-based concept ten years on from the events that began the Arab Uprisings.
Political Narratives in the Middle East and North Africa: Conceptions of Order and Perceptions of Instability
The volume edited by Wolfgang Mühlberger and Toni Alaranta highlights the importance of political narratives in making sense of the complexities of the MENA countries.
Why Palestinians consider the UAE-Israel Deal a strategic betrayal
Palestinian anger rises towards the UAE-Israel deal, which is not only a breach of international law, but also perceived as a betrayal of long-standing Arab solidarity with Palestine.
Syria’s Prospects for Reconstruction Are Bleak
Hindered by an array of domestic and international obstacles and competing regime priorities, the Syrian government’s efforts to attract regional capital for investment and reconstruction will be insufficient.
The EU and the Med: Is Geography Still Destiny?
Europe needs to find ways of reinvigorating its relations with MENA countries to bring stability in its southern neighborhood and Mediterranean region.
Beginning to Resolve Displacement
Addressing the issues of displaced persons starts not by envisioning an ending point for those no longer living in their homes, but instead by understanding the mobile nature of displacement and empowering those affected.
Let Conflicts Be Bygones
A sobering look at how COVID-19 will affect Libya, Syria, and Yemen, where war and conflict have not only decimated most of these countries’ precious resources but are further destroying what remains of them.
Anatomy of the Turkish Incursion
What lies ahead for the Arabs, Kurds, and Turks after Ankara’s assault on northern Syria?
Kushner’s New Plan for Palestine
The “Deal of the Century” is quickly shaping up to be the “Deception of the Century” and here’s why.
Reinventing Peace in Syria
For Syria, and the rest of the world, the era of liberal peacebuilding has passed. But there are other ways to make peace, which call for a return to basics and a new kind of “software”
The Juggernaut’s Achilles Heel
The US may have recognized Israel’s 1981 annexation of the Golan Heights, but the Golan Druze, like East Jerusalem Palestinians, continue to reject Israeli citizenship and civic participation. If Israel is now empowered to annex parts of the West Bank, will Palestinians there break the pattern and embrace citizenship if offered?
Kurdistan: A State or a State of Mind?
Can the Kurds, the largest ethnicity in the Middle East without their own nation, overcome their internal disunity and find ways to exist as an independent state or as autonomous regions?
A Different Kind of Rationality
Iran continues its military presence in Syria even after the fight is won—a move which is underpinned by the Islamic Republic’s core deterrence and defense foreign policy against possible Israeli or US military action.
Syria and Regional Food Security
Syria and its neighbors all have a vested interest in resuming agricultural trade to increase food security across the region.
Russia’s Eye on Syrian Reconstruction
Russia is primed to benefit economically from an influx of foreign investment in Syria, but an emerging rivalry with China and Iran for contracts could erode its long-term leverage.
Preserving Kurdish Autonomy
Divisions among the states vested in Syria are opening possibilities for Syria’s Kurds to secure greater protection for their autonomy.
India’s Multipolar Commitment
With a modern diplomatic history going back to Gandhi and Nehru, India views its role in the Middle East as a supporter of multiple powers. But how long can India’s commitment to a multipolar Middle East continue?
Russia, Turkey, and the Fate of Idlib
In Idlib, Turkey could deter Russian airstrikes and ensure the region remains out of the Syrian regime’s control by going after extremist groups.
Jordan at the Crossroads
Jordan’s economic, demographic and geographic characteristics have left the country vulnerable to mass protests and external pressure that can only be overcome by a comprehensive reform program.
Battling for Southwestern Syria
While Assad and his supporters seem close to reconquering Southwestern Syria, stability is far from assured.
Syria Podcast, Part 2
Nader Hashemi, Middle East and Syria expert, speaks with the Cairo Review’s Senior Editor Sean David Hobbs.
UN Deputy Envoy for Syria: “It’s an Emotional Rollercoaster”
As the fighting in Syria enters its eighth year, the United Nations Deputy Special Envoy for Syria Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy speaks about efforts to end the conflict.
The Turkish Predicament in Syria
The geopolitical ripples around Operation Olive Branch raise questions about Ankara’s ability to achieve its goal of preventing the establishment of an autonomous Kurdish entity in northwestern Syria.
The Meaning of Eastern Ghouta and Assad’s “Victory”
The Assad regime has won the war; it cannot, however, win the peace.
Turkey’s Risky Adventure in Afrin
Turkey’s military incursion into Kurdish-controlled northern Syria risks straining diplomatic ties and exposing Turkey to increased terror threats.
Russia’s New Energy Gamble
Russia aims to position itself as a leader among energy-producing equals in Eurasia. Since 2015, Russia has sought to play a more active role in the Middle East, setting its sights on the region’s energy resources to achieve this strategic goal.
The Iranian-Israeli Confrontation in Western Syria
With Iran’s deepening engagement in Syria following the expulsion of the Islamic State (IS), the old Iranian-Israeli feud is reigniting.
Refugee Champion
Former British Foreign Secretary David Miliband quit Parliament to take up the helm of the International Rescue Committee. He speaks to Cairo Review Senior Editor Amir-Hussein Radjy about the biggest refugee crisis since World War II and the personal family story that drives his work.
Unraveling in the Kremlin
Vladimir Putin intervened in Ukraine and Syria to mobilize domestic support for Russia’s decaying political system. But how long can the Kremlin survive on false images, fake agendas, and manufactured complexes?
A Day of Arab Despair and Radical Change
Four very different events on the same day all confirm once again the hard consequences of the unsustainable policies that all Arab governments, without exception, pursued since the 1970s.
Ten Observations on the Wars in Syria
The scale, intensity, and persistence of the last five years of nonstop and often barbaric violence reflect the fact that Syria today, as in the past four millennia at least, continues to be a central pivot in the geopolitics of the Middle East and its neighbors.
Endgame Strategies in Syria
The Syrian conflict has been alternately exploited and ignored long enough. The world can no longer afford to look the other way.
Russia, Palmyra, and the Syrian Kaleidoscope
Long-term stability in Syria requires a process of national self-determination that allows citizens to freely express how they wish to configure their sovereignty and be governed.
The Threat and Opportunity of Kurds in Syria
This is the moment to shed the ghosts of 1916 by affirming citizen rights in Arab lands, not to perpetuate them by bowing to the dictates of failed authoritarian powers.
Hollande’s War
President Hollande has called for a “merciless struggle” against ISIS. But France’s “war” with the terrorist group began well before Friday’s attacks.
Leaving Syrians No Options
By destroying rebel groups’ attempts at local governance, Russian military assistance is helping Assad present his government as the only viable force to rule Syria.
Rule of Terror
The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) proclaimed a caliphate in 2014. An in-depth report on how its militants are using severe brutality and radical interpretations of sharia law to govern a large civilian population.
From the Archives: A Portrait of Caliph Ibrahim
Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi rarely allows himself to be seen in public, hence his nicknames the “phantom” and the “invisible sheikh.” A veteran journalist pieces together the story of the most feared jihadist leader since Osama Bin Laden.
The Rise of the Islamic State
An investigation of the chaos in Iraq and Syria.