Kurds and others in the Sunni Republic of Syria
The past several weeks have been eventful in Syria. In a dramatic turn of events, Kurdish self-rule in the country appears to be nearing its end. This raises pressing questions about the nature of the Kurds and their political aspirations. First, it’s important to identify who currently rules Syria. The ruling elites in Damascus since […]
Damascus’s “Victory” but at What Cost?
Since the fall of Syria’s Assad regime in December 2024, the country has entered a new phase of political and military reconfiguration. This period is marked by the gradual expansion of Damascus’s authority over territories that were previously controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which are predominantly Kurdish. This phase has been accompanied by […]
Iranian protest: not only against the regime
A new cycle of public demonstrations has emerged in Iran, contributing to an important pattern of recurrent protest waves that have marked and are shaping the country’s recent history. While such social mobilisations tend to appear episodically, each of them is shaped by distinct structural triggers, social configurations and, or, political meanings. The present protest […]
The Squeezed State: Lebanon’s Strategic Dilemma Between Iran and Israel
Lebanon is currently trapped in a complex strategic dilemma shaped by internal and international pressures. At the center of this dilemma is the question of whether the state can realistically disarm Hezbollah, a Shia political and military organization that operates outside formal state authority despite participating in politics and running a broad social-service network. Disarmament […]
China-new Syria relationship: it is all about affordability
China maintained a strong relationship with the Assad regime. When the former regime collapsed last year, the Sino-Syrian relations faced a period of uncertainty and concern for its security, its geopolitics, its economic and political memory. Following the fall of Damascus, China closed its embassy and relocated to Lebanon, according to Ashhad Salibi, deputy director of the […]