Alawites
In Search of a Story for Syria
With the recent reincorporation of northeastern Syria under central rule, the existential risk of national dissolution that Syrians feared seems to have passed. But stitching up the bonds between communities will be a longer and more difficult task than defeating separatist militias.
Alawite Politics After Assad
After the fall of the Assad regime, Syria’s Alawites are navigating collective blame, political exclusion and existential fear. With no armed force, no institutions and no trusted leadership, their turn to religious protest reflects not sectarian ambition but a desperate search for survival.
Stalled Reconciliation Leaves Hama’s Alawites in Limbo
In Syria’s Hama province, displaced Alawite villagers are unable to return to houses and lands now occupied by their former Sunni neighbors, whose own homes were destroyed. With property disputes unresolved and pistachio orchards — the region’s economic lifeblood — neglected, the fragile coexistence that once defined these communities risks collapse.
The Existential Challenge for Syria’s Alawites
The recent massacres of Syria’s Alawites mark a painful end to a long chapter in the community’s history and highlight the existential challenges it faces following Assad’s fall.
Investigating the Alawite Massacres
A new investigation into the massacres on the Syrian coast in March details the events leading up to the violence, including interviews with survivors and militants who took part in the fighting.
Massacres on the Syrian Coast
Firsthand accounts of the recent massacres on Syria’s coast reveal lingering sectarianism and a post-Assad regime that has not yet come to terms with its role as a government for all Syrians.
How Desperation Sowed the Seeds of Rebellion in Syria’s Latakia Province
In Syria’s Latakia province, a stronghold of the former Assad regime, the loss of jobs and opportunities and a feeling of being marginalized by the state are leading Alawites to rebel against the new administration.