Taming Syria’s Rogue Man

Taming Syria’s Rogue Man

Karam Shaar *This article was originally published in Sada-The Carnegie Middle East Center Western powers have come to realize that dislodging Syria’s Bashar al-Assad from his throne is costlier than had been assumed when the peaceful uprising began in 2011. After...
Zombie Diplomacy and the Fate of Syria’s Constitutional Committee

Zombie Diplomacy and the Fate of Syria’s Constitutional Committee

Steven Heydemann, Karam Shaar *This op-ed was originally published by The Brookings Institution. From left to right: Ahmad Kuzbari, Government Co-Chair, Geir O. Pedersen, United Nations Special Envoy for Syria and Hadi AlBhara, Opposition Co-Chair attend the Syrian...
Syrian Opinion Split on Decentralizing Power in New Constitution

Syrian Opinion Split on Decentralizing Power in New Constitution

Orwa Khalifa, William Christou This study was originally published on the Middle East Institute website. Under U.N. Security Council Resolution 2254, a critical step toward a political solution to the Syrian crisis is the drafting of a new Syrian constitution. To that...
2021 Budget Reveals the Depth of Syria’s Economic Woes

2021 Budget Reveals the Depth of Syria’s Economic Woes

William Christou, Karam Shaar This study was originally published on the Atlantic Council website. On September 28, the Syrian government proposed the 2021 budget, planned at 8.5 trillion Syrian pounds ($2.7 billion in inflation-adjusted USD – hereafter referred to as...