Syria

Military & Security

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Syria's provisional government said 11 soldiers were killed in a blast it attributed to a drone attack conducted by the Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, not long after the SDF itself accused the Syrian government of breaking a fresh four-day truce with attacks in the northeast, Reuters reported on Jan. 21.

Syria: SDF Reportedly Kills Syrian Troops, Despite Ceasefire

Syria's provisional government said it had reached a four-day ceasefire with the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, in an attempt to negotiate the final integration of the remaining SDF forces, Al Jazeera reported on Jan. 20.

Syria: Government Reaches Ceasefire With SDF To Promote Integration

Turkey

The Kurdistan Communities Union, or KCK, released a statement saying recent attacks on Kurdish neighborhoods in Aleppo, Syria, and Turkish-backed Syrian officials' conduct toward the union were an attempt to sabotage the Kurdish-Turkey peace process, Rudaw reported Jan. 13. 

Syria, Turkey: Kurdish Group Claims Aleppo Clashes Seek To Sabotage Turkish-Kurdish Peace Process

The last of the remaining U.S.-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, militants withdrew from Aleppo, Reuters reported on Jan. 11.

Syria: Kurdish-Led SDF Withdraws From Aleppo

A fragile ceasefire between the Syrian army and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, in Aleppo collapsed just hours after it was announced when SDF militants refused to abide by the government's deadline to leave the city, Al Jazeera reported on Jan. 9.

Syria: Government-SDF Ceasefire in Aleppo Collapses 

United States

The Syrian army issued an evacuation order for parts of Aleppo and subsequently launched a "limited operation" against military targets associated with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, in order to push the group out of the country's second-largest city and strengthen the government's control over it, Reuters reported on Jan. 8. 

Syria: Clashes With the SDF Intensify in Aleppo

Israel

France

Israel and Syria resumed U.S.-mediated talks in Paris on a security agreement after around two months of negotiations being frozen, Reuters reported Jan. 5. 

Syria, Israel: Syria and Israel Resume Negotiations on Security Agreement

Syrian security forces imposed a one-day curfew in Latakia province after four people were killed in recent protests there, state media reported on Dec. 30. 

Syria: Damascus Imposes Curfew in Latakia Amid Alawite Unrest

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Residents wave Somali flags as they attend a rally denouncing Israel's recognition of the breakaway region of Somaliland at Mogadishu Stadium in Mogadishu, Somalia, on Dec. 30, 2025. 

Economics

Two regional alignments are coalescing along the Red Sea and in the Horn of Africa, risking the escalation of proxy conflicts and longstanding rivalries.

The Unfolding Regional Realignments Along the Red Sea and Their Implications

Citizens gather to welcome the arrival of vehicles transporting Kurdish fighters from the northern city of Aleppo to the Kurdish-controlled northeastern city of Qamishli on Jan. 11, 2026.

The government's success in forcing the Kurdish-backed militia out of the city will likely reduce fighting there, but it may also lead to a larger localized conflict in the northeast that disrupts Kurdish integration and potentially oil exports.

In Syria, the SDF's Withdrawal From Aleppo Will Complicate Kurdish Integration Efforts

Soldiers ride atop an armored vehicle during a military parade in Idlib, Syria, on Dec. 8, 2025. 

Domestic political maneuvering and limits on foreign military support will constrain Syria's ability to rebuild its military following the end of the country's civil war.

Internal Divisions Will Hinder Syria's Military Modernization

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Israeli troops patrol the border fence with Syria near the Druze village of Majdal Shams in the Israel-annexed Golan Heights on July 23, 2025. 

While the new U.S.-backed intelligence-sharing agreement will help temporarily ease cross-border tensions, unresolved security issues and structural constraints undermine the prospects for deeper normalization.

Syria-Israel Deal Paves Way for Broader Security Coordination, but Constraints Remain

Saudi-backed forces are seen on the outskirts of Yemen's Hadramawt province, where the UAE-backed secessionist Southern Transitional Council (STC) recently launched an offensive, on Jan. 3, 2026. 

Social Issues

The Gulf nations' growing battle for influence is straining bilateral ties and fueling proxy conflicts in places like Yemen and Sudan, though both sides will likely avoid any escalation that could harm their economies.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE Pursue Divergent Paths in a Multipolar World

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As 2026 approaches, we look back at the previous year and consider the top five patterns and trends as measured by geopolitical impact.

2025: A Geopolitical Review

Sub-Saharan Africa

Mozambique

Republic of the Congo

A destroyed church is seen in Mosul, Iraq.

The Islamic State's main threat to the West in 2026 will remain its ability to inspire lone-actor violence, though in the coming years the group's African, Afghan and Syrian branches may become increasingly capable of directing mass casualty attacks in Western countries.

The Islamic State's Enduring Threat to the West

Syria's interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa delivers a speech in Damascus on July 3, 2025, during the unveiling of the "New Visual Identity of the Syrian Arab Republic." 

The transitional government's decision will boost reconstruction and counter-terrorism efforts, but it will also risk alienating internal hard-liners and could eventually fuel an Islamic State resurgence if Syria's economic recovery stalls.

The Implications of Syria Joining the U.S.-Led Fight Against the Islamic State

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Campaign posters Nov. 6 ahead of Nov. 11 Iraqi parliamentary elections in central Baghdad.

U.S.-China Relations

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: Iraqi Elections, a U.S.-China Deal Enters Effect

Syria's interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa (right) meets with U.S. envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack, at the presidential palace in Damascus on July 9, 2025. 

The U.S. will leverage permanent sanctions relief to pressure Syria to finalize a security pact with Israel, but the Kurds will resist integrating with President Ahmad al-Sharaa's government. 

U.S. Engagement With Syria Will Promote Stability, but Kurdish Integration Will Continue To Lag

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Syria's interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, hold a meeting at the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow on Oct.15, 2025. 

Syria's outreach to Russia could lead to diversified economic and security ties, help de-escalate tensions between Russia and Turkey, and eventually facilitate small steps toward Syria's rapprochement with Iran.

Syria-Russia Rapprochement Reinforces Damascus's Non-Confrontationalism

Tajikistan

Azerbaijan

Georgia

The assembly hall of the Syrian parliament Oct. 1 in Damascus. An Oct. 5 indirect election for parliament will mark the first time Syrians have had an electoral say in their government since the 1960s.

The Weekly Rundown: Japan's Election, Syria's Political Transition

<p>Modern Syria is located along the eastern Mediterranean Sea, bordering Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, and Iraq. Syria&rsquo;s main geographic challenge is uniting its diverse ethnic groups under one domestic power. This is the result of mountainous terrain and ethnic cores that contradict the state&rsquo;s current borders. Syria&rsquo;s population is composed of Sunni Arabs, Alawites, Kurds, Druze, and Christians, among others. The traditional core of Syria&#39;s ruling Alawite minority sits on the northern coastal plain to the west of the Jabal an Nusayriya mountains and to the north of the Anti-Lebanon mountains. Between these two ranges, the Homs Gap has often been the point of invasions from the Mediterranean Sea. The interior region is dominated by the majority Sunni Arab peoples. The Syrian Desert divides this area into two competing regions with strong local identities. The first, Damascus, is the historical capital and the modern seat of power for the Alawites. The other, Aleppo, is situated in the agricultural heartlands of the Aleppo plateau. The Euphrates river divides this plateau from the much more arid Jazirah plateau and allows for irrigation in an otherwise desert region. Syria&rsquo;s modern boundaries fall short of the historical concept of Greater Syria&mdash;spanning from Lebanon to the west and Jordan and Israel to the south. Its current borders were set by the League of Nations&#39; French Mandate, following the dismantling of the Ottoman Empire after World War I. Lebanon, especially Beirut, has always been important to Syria because of its trade ports and access to Mediterranean markets. Syria&rsquo;s recent civil unrest is the latest example of its geographic challenge. Maintaining unity remains difficult so long as its current boundaries continue to overlap regional and ethnic fault lines.</p>

SITUATION REPORTS

Syria: SDF Reportedly Kills Syrian Troops, Despite Ceasefire

Syria: Government Reaches Ceasefire With SDF To Promote Integration

Syria, Turkey: Kurdish Group Claims Aleppo Clashes Seek To Sabotage Turkish-Kurdish Peace Process

Syria: Kurdish-Led SDF Withdraws From Aleppo

Syria: Government-SDF Ceasefire in Aleppo Collapses

Syria: Clashes With the SDF Intensify in Aleppo

Syria, Israel: Syria and Israel Resume Negotiations on Security Agreement

Syria: Damascus Imposes Curfew in Latakia Amid Alawite Unrest

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