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

Local Dynamics

Integration blues

As opaque negotiations on SDF integration grind on, the city of Qamishli lives with parallel authorities, shrinking subsidies and growing uncertainty over who will govern next

How is the SDF integration process going? On the streets of Qamishli many people say they just don’t know. Government forces, at least, are nowhere to be seen. A journey through the remnants of the Au…

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Politics & Power
What Syrians really think
Lessons from 2,700 interviews about fear, disillusionment and public opinion after Assad
Local Dynamics
Palmyran wisdom
How one city is turning anger over Assad cronies into a local experiment in transitional justice
Local Dynamics
After the war
Syria’s Kurds and Turkmens are finding common cause in Damascus as they seek greater influence, representation and rights
Justice, Rights & Civil Society
Follow the money
Hassan Akkad’s arrest and Syria’s new red lines
July 2026 issue →
Issue 37

Opinion

Voices that sharpen Syria's public debate

Mohamad Khir Alwazir

Syria’s degree factories

Private universities teach poorly and produce no research. Reform must begin with rigorous, independent accreditation

12. July 2026

Mona Abboud

Let’s all join the Cute Party!

In Syria today, refusing sectarian revenge is enough to earn you a nickname: “cute”

08. July 2026

Hussam Eddin Mohammad

Syria’s unfinished reassembly

A century after France carved Syria into competing fragments, the struggle over the country’s geography has returned as a struggle over memory and identity.

29. June 2026

Ahmad Omar

The baccalaureate wars

Syria’s baccalaureate is an annual ordeal for students, parents and an education system still ruled by memorisation and narrow career choices.

25. June 2026

Hussam Eddin Mohammad

Game Over? Not for Bashar

Syria’s fallen tyrant has lost his country, but still seeks refuge in fantasies of control

11. June 2026

Mona Abboud

Who owns the right to handle the bitter truth?

The way the case of Rania al-Abbasi’s fate is handled concerns the whole country

04. June 2026

Hiba Ezzideen

Searching for Um Kamel

Why Syrians still adore a fictional woman played by a man

26. May 2026

Ahmad Omar

From O.J. Simpson to Atef Najib

The Assad era buried justice underground. The new regime prefers prime time

21. May 2026
More opinions

What (some) Syrians think

The June wave is out! Fresh findings from surveys conducted in Damascus, Rural Damascus, and Homs. Syria Poll examines how residents assess their living conditions, government performance, and recent political developments.

Read the June results
More surveys

Previous issues

  • June 2026

    Issue 36
  • May 2026

    Issue 35
  • April 2026

    Issue 34
  • March 2026

    Issue 33
  • February 2026

    Issue 32
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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