Hayat Tahrir al-Sham
Schrödinger’s Jihadists
In its former Syrian stronghold of Palmyra, an Islamic State group attack underscored the diffuse — and largely unseen — threat the group continues to pose. “They exist, but they don’t exist,” said one resident. “You don’t see them.”
The Making of a Leader
To some, Syria’s new transitional president is a cunning mastermind whose jihadist roots threaten to plunge the region into a new cycle of extremism and violence. But Ahmad al-Sharaa’s family legacy and the evolution of his rhetoric, ideas and actions hint at a deeper story.
The Not-So-Frivolous Debate About Alcohol in Syria
The question of alcohol regulation in Syria, recently raised by secular advocates, is far from a minor detail. It strikes at the core of the discussions about the future nature of the Syrian state. The statement by Ahmed al-Sharaa, the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), during a recent BBC…