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Syria’s frozen conflict will resist normalisation

Location:

SYRIA

The minister also visited the Syrian embassy in Riyadh, which is preparing to reopen. Damascus aims to highlight another example of the Arab return to ‘business as usual’ with…

Syria’s sovereignty push will depend on Arab ties

Location:

SYRIA

The letter specified that aid must be coordinated with Damascus and also pushed for donors to fulfil their commitments and support refugee return -- a key issue for Arab…

Syria’s mild economic recovery faces major constraints

Location:

SYRIA

The economy is not showing serious ill effects from the overspill of the conflict in Gaza or recent aid cuts. The government may even have derived some additional financial…

Syria's ruler will seek to ride out economic protests

Location:

SYRIA

The demonstrations were triggered by Assad’s mid-August announcement of big fuel price increases, only partly mitigated by rises in salaries and pensions. However, they have been…

Limits to Russia’s ties with Turkey will persist

Location:

RUSSIA

Energy ties, already deep, have expanded since 2022 as part of a broader reorientation of Russian commerce away from the West. The similarly authoritarian leadership styles of…

Lebanon will bargain for more Syrian refugee returns

Location:

LEBANON/SYRIA

The country’s economic crisis and the Christian community's demographic fears have increased anti-refugee sentiment, which politicians weaponised around the May 2022 elections. In…

Syrian Kurds face a possible loss of autonomy

Location:

SYRIA

After the outbreak of civil war in 2011 and the rise of Islamic State (IS), the US-backed SDF managed to establish an autonomous administration in northeast Syria. However, it…

Bahrain will benefit from greater regional stability

Location:

BAHRAIN

The visit comes as the region is experiencing a period of diplomatic détente. Bahrain is taking advantage by slowly rebuilding ties with Iran and Syria. However, increasing…

Syrian drug traffickers could shift routes to Libya

Location:

LIBYA

Still, the narcotics trade provides a lucrative alternative revenue stream for government-aligned actors in Syria. These external pressures are therefore instead likely to prompt…