Syria
The ‘Muslim Brotherhood’ Playbook
The sudden emergence of the label in the U.S. midterms is evidence of a rhetorical exchange between the U.S. and its autocratic allies in the Middle East, as each finds ways to delegitimize, demonize and even prosecute those who might threaten the illiberal status quo of their regimes.
Treaties and Treachery
Syria's presidents have been jailed, shot and exiled. Only one has left a memoir, and that has only recently been published. Its editor explains how Shukri al-Quwatli’s account changes what we know about Syria and Churchill, King Faisal and early Zionist leaders.
Waiting for Yemen’s al-Sharaa
In a large online propaganda campaign in September, Yemen's government and its Saudi backers invoked Syria's revolution to promise Sanaa’s liberation. Within days, the Houthis had taken the coast of Bab al-Mandab.
Uneasy Allies: The Real Relationship Between Turkey and Syria’s New Rulers
The partnership between Turkey and the new Syrian leadership is long-standing and complex. It has evolved into an alliance defined not by subservience, but by mutual dependence, recurring friction and an increasingly assertive Damascus.
Does Israel Prefer Weak Neighbors?
Why does Israel so often seem to be pursuing tactics aimed at weakening states in the Middle East, particularly in Lebanon, Syria and now Iran? Israel might not have a consistent weak-state doctrine, but its actions give the appearance that it does — with far-reaching negative consequences.
Celebrating Syria’s Liberation From a Prison Cell in Iraq
The fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime was the happiest day of Elizabeth Tsurkov’s life, though she had at the time been tortured and imprisoned for nearly two years on a militia base in Iraq.
The Accidental Revelations of a Russian Spy’s Memoir
A new Russian film fictionalizes the adventures of the spy-diplomat Gen. Alexander Zorin. Draft scripts and his memoir, “The Negotiator,” reveal — perhaps inadvertently — that Russian lies about its military operations in Syria were as central to its strategy as the munitions it fired.