President Donald Trump was eager to distance the U. WPR has covered the Syrian civil war in detail and continues to examine key questions about what will happen next.
What role will Iran and the militias it supports continue to play in the country? And how will the Biden administration approach a conflict that no longer commands attention in the U. But he does not have the money to do it, and the powers that do—the United States and Europe—say they are unwilling to hand over any funds without regime change.
Assad, meanwhile, has said he is not even willing to consider institutional reforms that might satisfy some of his critics. That could spell a cycle of domestic crises ahead for Syria and its citizens.
Despite waning international interest, the humanitarian crisis sparked by the Syrian civil war is far from over. And the humanitarian crisis will persist if Syria does not find the resources to begin rebuilding. In the past year the humanitarian crisis has been compounded by an unprecedented economic downturn, which saw the value of Syria's currency decline drastically and food prices reach historic highs.
In addition, the country has suffered a Covid outbreak, whose true extent is not known because of limited testing capacity and a devastated healthcare system. Entire neighbourhoods and vital infrastructure across the country also remain in ruins after a decade of fighting.
UN satellite analysis suggested that more than 35, structures were damaged or destroyed in Aleppo city alone before it was recaptured by the government in late And despite their protected status, attacks on separate medical facilities had been documented by Physicians for Human Rights as of March , resulting in the deaths of medical personnel.
Such attacks have left only half of the country's hospitals fully functional. Much of Syria's rich cultural heritage has also been destroyed. All six of the country's Unesco World Heritage sites have been damaged significantly, with IS militants deliberately blowing up parts of the ancient city of Palmyra. UN war crimes investigators have accused all parties of perpetrating "the most heinous violations".
The government has regained control of Syria's biggest cities, but large parts of the country are still held by rebels, jihadists and the Kurdish-led SDF. The last remaining opposition stronghold is in the north-western province of Idlib and adjoining parts of northern Hama and western Aleppo provinces. The region is dominated by a jihadist alliance called Hayat Tahrir al-Sham HTS , but is also home to mainstream rebel factions.
An estimated 2. In March , Russia and Turkey brokered a ceasefire to halt a push by the government to retake Idlib.
There has been a relative calm since then, but it could break down at any moment. In the country's north-east, Turkish forces and allied Syrian rebels launched an offensive against the SDF in October to create a "safe zone" clear of Kurdish YPG militia along the Syrian side of the border, and have occupied a km 75 miles long stretch since. To halt the assault the SDF struck a deal with the Syrian government that saw the Syrian army return to the Kurdish-administered region for the first time in seven years.
The government has vowed to eventually regain full control of it. It does not look like it will anytime soon, but everyone agrees a political solution is required. Nine rounds of UN-mediated peace talks - known as the Geneva II process - failed to make progress, with President Assad apparently unwilling to negotiate with political opposition groups that insist he must step down as part of any settlement.
Russia, Iran and Turkey set up parallel political talks known as the Astana process in An agreement was reached the following year to form a member committee to write a new constitution, leading to free and fair elections supervised by the UN. But in January , UN special envoy Geir Pedersen lamented that they had not even begun drafting any reforms. USIP has also supported education for journalists in Lebanon on conflict-sensitive reporting.
A crucial deadline that will determine the future of humanitarian aid to Syria looms this week, as the authorization for the Bab al-Hawa crossing on the Turkey-Syria border expires on July The crossing is the last with a U. Russia has used its veto power in the Security Council to prevent extensions of three other such aid crossings.
Type: Analysis and Commentary. Global Policy ; Human Rights. In the face of international pushback, the Assad regime is going forward with plans for a presidential election on May While the outcome is in no way uncertain — Assad will win amid deeply unfair election practices — the decision to proceed with the vote has major implications for international efforts to resolve the decade-long civil war.
As the Syrian conflict marks its 10th anniversary, the protest movement from which it emerged stands as perhaps the most consequential of the Arab uprisings. In this model, Syria is divided into distinct realms under the sway of competing external patrons. We provide analysis, education, and resources to those working for peace around the world.
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