The high approval ratings of the U.S. and the EU among Syrians are transactional and not value-driven; Syrians will approve of them as long as the U.S. and the EU keep sanctions off, help stabilize the economy, and support reconstruction. www.foreignaffairs.com/syria/what-s...

"Syria remains a potential problem, but with American, Arab, Israeli, and Turkish support may stabilize and reassume its rightful place as an integral, positive player in the region." www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/u...

Gaziantep's head of textile chamber: "Syrians filled labor shortages, but over 50% of textile shops in Gaziantep had to shutdown as a result of their repatriation...Hopefully, trade with Syria will revitalize business and compensate losses." gaziantepilkhaber.com/suriyeliler-...

Lovely news from new Syria. The transitional government leans toward free market economy, but taxi drivers in Damascus are protesting private cars using ride-share apps, arguing that cabbies go through different process (separate driving license and different insurance fee) to operate.

Register and join us in person next week, Monday, 24 Nov 2025, at 17:00 (Istanbul time) for a panel discussion with our experts on "Women's Voices from Syria: Feminist Strategies for Rights." calendar.boell.de/en/event/voi...

From Reddit - the second generation of Syrians are now growing up in Turkey without any right to work

ISW released its report on the new Syrian Army, and the authors explore Turkey's role, arguing that Turkey’s patronage is embedded in the new army’s structure, creating chains of loyalty that do not run cleanly through Damascus. understandingwar.org/research/mid...

“A delegation from the U.S. congress, including members of the Intelligence Committee, arrives in Damascus to discuss several issues, including the Caesar file.”

The Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs will be in Washington tomorrow in conjunction with Trump-Sharaa summit. www.mfa.gov.tr/no_-229_-say...

Mamdani thought he married a Syrian woman, but the nation has spoken: Syrians now call him صهرنا “our brother-in-law.” 😂

Guess which country abstained from voting in the UNSC to lift sanctions on the transitional Syrian preisdent and Minister of the Interior?

New York's first lady is of Syrian origin! 🥳

Erdoğan announced the launch of a special support program for Syria under the umbrella of COMCEC to strengthen Syria's human and institutional capacities: "The recovery of our neighbor and return to its former state as soon as possible is our top priority." ankahaber.net/haber/detay/...

Ironic that Syrians were dubbed a "flexible workforce" for years, when that meant informal employment. Now that they're returning to Syria, it is a "labor shortage." Syrians weren't/aren't the problem. It is the business model! www.economist.com/europe/2025/...

Ankara names Nuh Yılmaz as its first ambassador to Damascus since 2012. The decision reflects the importance of relations with the new Syria; he was a key player in the Syria file and prioritizes security-led diplomacy, as Yılmaz hails from the National Intelligence Organization.

Germany is pressing for Turkey to join SAFE for industrial/operational benefits. Greece is strongly objecting and tying consent to lifting the 1995 'casus belli.' Meanwhile, the Council wants "like-minded partners" to work together with assurances to Athens. www.consilium.europa.eu/media/d2nhnq...

TIP's size and influence in Syria are understudied. China, however, has multiple cards to press Syria on TIP, including its veto right in the SC to maintain/lift the terror designation on the Syrian transitional president and his MoI, and UN sanctions in general. english.news.cn/20251023/62a...

The Adana Agreement of 1998 is once again on the table as Turkey "wants to extend the permitted range to 30 kilometers (19 miles), from 5 kilometers now." www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

This tweet from 13 years ago is trending hard among Syrians, knowing that Syria's transitional president is in Moscow for the Russian-Arab Summit.

Lavrov on his country's view of Syria's governance model ahead of the Syrian transitional president's visit to Moscow to attend the first Russian-Arab Summit on 15 October: mid.ru/en/press_ser...

Salih Muslim to Alarabiya (1/2): "We don't demand self-autonomy. We demand administrative decentralization. We can discuss the issue with all other Syrian components. We aren't after an entity similar to the KRG, which is a federation established on different foundations."

A recommended reading www.syriarevisited.com/p/a-new-syri...

Syria's first parliamentary elections since Assad's reign ended will take place in two days, and Syrian-American Jewish rabbi Henry Hamra is running in Damascus. He is committed to "one, stable and flourishing Syria, and unconditionally lifting the Caesar Act."

Syria isn't a case study, but the article speaks to the future of Syria through HTS's transformation into the Transitional Government: "From Insurgent to Incumbent: Ideology, Rebel Governance, and Statebuilding after Rebel Victory in Civil Wars." www.ingentaconnect.com/content/cuny...

These elections, conducted under the current electoral process—especially given the absence of a law governing political parties—and amid the country's overall conditions, are symbolic without substance. www.al-monitor.com/originals/20...

Interesting episode, as usual! Relevant to the topic, Turkish MoI recently busted a criminal ring that amassed $18,200,000 selling Turkish citizenship through forged docs, and revoked the citizenship of 451 foreigners, mostly Iranians and Afghans. www.milliyet.com.tr/gundem/gayri...

A Syrian who left for Turkey in 2012 returns not just with capital and memories, but also with a Turkish craft and language. Upon his return, he opened a Turkish döner shop, calling it "beğendik," in his hometown of Al Bab in Aleppo. youtube.com/shorts/OLYPw...

What is it like to work on the Middle East after skipping Arabic 101? Tom Barrack: "There is no Arabic word for submit!"

Statements of Syrian MFA and Deputy State Secretary from Washington. Landau: “[We discussed] the future of Syria, Israel-Syria relations, economic opportunity, and countering terrorism.” Syrian MFA: “[The two officials] discussed Syrian-American relations and the prospects of their development.”

The Syrian MFA has one more thing to discuss while in the States since ~6,000 Syrians have to return home by 21 November 2025 when the Temporary Protected Statues terminates “Conditions in Syria no longer prevent [Syrian] nationals from returning home.” www.dhs.gov/news/2025/09...

Turkey isn't shaping post-war Syria only with soldiers and diplomats. Its new tool is universities! In my latest in @selimkoru.bsky.social's Kültürkampf, I explore how higher education cooperation embeds Ankara's influence deep into Syria's future. kulturkampftr.substack.com/p/turkeys-re...

I wasn’t born when Nixon visited Syria and I was a kid when Clinton did, but seeing Syria’s transitional president next to the commander of CENTCOM is something I’ll vividly remember.

Turkey-Syria defense cooperation in effect: “One source said around 300 Syrians, mostly soldiers, but also some police officers, are currently being trained at two bases in central and eastern Turkey.” www.middleeasteye.net/news/turkey-...

Syrian FM met with Russian Deputy PM Novak in Damascus “Our relationship with Russia is deep [but had] no balance…we welcome cooperation with Russia in the field of reconstruction, energy, agriculture and health on a fair and transparent basis.” sana.sy/syria-and-th...

Syrian parliamentary elections are on 15 September, and 53% would accept a party they disagree with taking power if it wins fair elections. Most support the establishment of new political parties. Guess what? Syria lacks a law for establishing political parties! syrianobserver.com/syrian-actor...

A Turkish CEO, Ersel Göral, will lead a consortium formed by UCC (Qat), Cengiz (TR), Kalyon (TR), and TAV (TR), overseeing the renovation/construction, operation, and development of Damascus International Airport. The investment is approximately $4 billion to serve 31 passengers over 8 years.

Turkey formally kicked off training, advisory support and technical assistance for Syria under the recent agreement, with a Turkish plan to travel to Syria and assess defense needs in reality and draw a joint road map to strengthen Syria's military capacity. www.evrensel.net/haber/566499...

Syria and Israel are set to sign a US-backed security agreement (aimed at reducing tensions) on September 25, with Trump's attendance, and Syria's transitional president is expected to address the UNGA on September 24, ahead of signing the agreement. www.alhadath.net/syria/2025/0...

The Syrian transitional government will introduce new banknotes later in the year, removing two zeros from the current banknotes to restore confidence in the Syrian currency. Russian company, Goznak, will print the new notes. www.alhadath.net/syria/2025/0...

Vahap Coşkun asks a good question: Is there a Syrian Army the SDF could join? His analysis intersects with @haidhaid22.bsky.social who also tapped on efforts to unify Syria’s fragmented armed factions into a national defense force. open.spotify.com/episode/6yfm... serbestiyet.com/gunun-yazila...

Syrian MFA discussed in Paris with an Israeli delegation "De-escalation and non-interference in Syrian internal affairs, support stability in the region, monitoring the ceasefire in Suwayda, and reactivating the 1974 Syrian-Israeli agreement on disengagement." sana.sy/syria-and-th...

Well, we need first to address the gender inequality and inclusivity in Syrian citizenship law; Syrian women with children from foreigners should be able to confer citizenship to their offspring, and grant citizenship to decades-long stateless Kurds. www.reuters.com/world/middle...

The number of Syrians who returned from Turkey since the fall of the Syrian regime has reached 411,649, placing the total number of returnees since 2016 at 1,151,652. 2,543,711 Syrians under temporary protection remain in Turkey. www.aa.com.tr/tr/gundem/su...

The Syrian and Turkish MoDs signed a joint military cooperation agreement aimed at strengthening the capabilities of the Syrian Arab Army, developing its institutions and structure, and supporting the comprehensive reform of the security sector. sana.sy?p=2261361

The meeting took place "upon the request of the Damascus government," and the "discussions focused on finding an appropriate formula for decentralization, without specifying a timeframe," according to a Kurdish source. www.arabnews.com/node/2611593...

Syrian FM from Moscow in late July: "The current period is full of various challenges and threats, but it is also an opportunity to build a united and strong Syria. And, of course, we are interested in having Russia by our side on this path." www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Syria’s Minister of Economy and Industry headed a high-level delegation during a several-day visit to Turkey at the invitation of the Turkish Minister of Trade as part of enhancing cooperation between the two countries. www.sana.sy?p=2257406

A must-read by Gregory Waters, who compares the findings of Reuters, the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression investigations, and the National Commission about the Alawites' massacre in March 2025: "Examining Coastal Massacre Investigations." www.syriarevisited.com/p/examining-...

Head of the Supreme Committee for the People's Assembly Elections: The number of seats in the Syrian People's Assembly will be increased from 150 to 210, thus increasing the share of governorates according to the 2011 census, of which 70 members will be appointed by the president.

Turkish MoD spokesperson said that Syria has officially requested Turkey's support to strengthen Syria's defense capacity and fight against all terrorist organizations, especially ISIS, and in response, Turkey will offer technical assistance, consulting, and training. www.aa.com.tr/tr/gundem/ms...