A monthly magazine on Syrian politics and society that cuts through the noise

Local Dynamics

Exit without departure

What’s left of Iran’s influence in Syria?

Assad’s fall has stripped Iran of most of its assets in Syria, but networks remain and could be leveraged to open a new front.

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Economy, Aid & Reconstruction
Let’s talk about aid
Western aid is a crucial power factor in Syria
Diplomacy
Gulf War III
The Iran-Iraq war offers useful lessons for the beleaguered Gulf states
Politics & Power
Popularity contest
The government’s strategic communication campaign was once brilliant. It’s now failing.  
Economy, Aid & Reconstruction
Perfect storm
The fallout of the Iran war threatens Syria’s economic survival
Interviews
Berlin Calling
A conversation with Clemens Hach
April 2026 issue →
Issue 34

Opinion

Voices that sharpen Syria's public debate

Hussam Eddin Mohammad

Syria as a Turkish TV drama

From Ottoman epics to borderland dramas, stories reflect politics but fail to offer closure

19. April 2026

Mohamad Khir Alwazir

Are Syrians today free?

The fall of Assad may have ended a regime but not the deeper habits of fear, obedience, and exclusion that sustained it. True freedom requires dismantling the cultural and institutional roots of despotism itself.

11. April 2026

Yaser al-Daher

We need to talk about corruption

Ask any Syrian about his daily experiences, and corruption will come up quickly. It feels all too familiar.

09. April 2026

Mona Abboud

Buying a shirt in Syria is a lesson in mental arithmetic

What should have been a quick trip to buy a child’s shirt became a frustrating exercise in currency chaos. Welcome to everyday life in Syria, where everything is more complicated than it should be.

06. April 2026

Hussam Eddin Mohammad

Larijani’s final dialogue

A Persian novel, a medieval mystic, and a final conversation between Ali Larijani and Alexander Dugin converge on Syria as a stage of recurring end times, where ancient metaphysics and modern geopolitics collide.

04. April 2026

Ahmad Omar

Of wine, whine and wounded virtue

An alcohol regulation in Damascus spirals into a culture war. 

31. March 2026

Hiba Ezzideen

Drunk on freedom

In Damascus, a protest over alcohol becomes something far bigger: a moment where Syrians – many of them devout, many of them women – push back against state control and reclaim the right to define their own society.

29. March 2026

Majed Dawi

How can trust be built between Damascus and the Kurds today?

Damascus may be closing the military chapter of Syria’s war, but without resolving detainees, displacement, and Kurdish political rights, the harder task of earning trust has only just begun.

28. March 2026
More opinions

What (some) Syrians think

Syria Poll is live! The first wave presents findings from surveys conducted in Damascus, Rural Damascus, and Homs in early February 2026. Syria Poll examines how residents assess their living conditions, government performance, and recent political developments.

Click to read the survey results
More surveys

Previous issues

  • March 2026

    Issue 33
  • February 2026

    Issue 32
  • January 2026

    Issue 31
  • December 2025

    Issue 30
  • November 2025

    Issue 29
View archive

About

Syria in Transition is a monthly magazine on Syrian politics, society, economics and culture. Produced by an experienced and diverse team of independent journalists, researchers, and linguists, it challenges lazy narratives, connects the dots, and stimulates debate on the issues that matter.

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