As Damascus and the SDF inch towards integration, is northeastern Syria heading for unified state institutions, “complementary integration,” or a revival of divided influence?
Kurds in northeastern Syria are cautiously waiting to see what comes next as Damascus and the SDF take their first steps towards a fraught integration.
A new integration agreement between Damascus and the SDF is underway in northeastern Syria, but major obstacles remain—from diverging interpretations of the deal to the deep influence of the PKK-linked “Qandil current.”
As Raqqa embarks on a future without the SDF, the northeastern Syrian city faces the delicate work of reintegrating former fighters and repairing social fractures left by years of shifting rule.
Encircled by government forces and without basic services, residents of Kurdish-majority Kobani fear a return to the city’s darkest days as the end of a fragile ceasefire approaches.
The SDF’s sudden withdrawal has ushered in a new reality for Syrians in Deir e-Zor and Raqqa, where many are optimistic despite uncertainty about the days ahead.
A year of false starts, bloodshed, shifting balances of power and foreign intervention has produced a complicated landscape in Druze-majority Suwayda, one in which the voices calling for secession and self-rule are growing louder.
Factions in Syria’s southern Suwayda province are split on whether to merge with Damascus. One side—aligned with Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri—is opposed, while the other—including the powerful Men of Dignity—calls for opening to Damascus and joining its institutions.
Syria’s Ministry of Defense is meeting with military factions in Syria’s southern Daraa province—including the 8th Brigade—as it works to integrate them into a new army.
Egypt is home to 1.5 million Syrians, thousands of whom have opened successful businesses in the country. Many consider Egypt a safe haven compared to other states in the region, where anti-refugee sentiments are on the rise. However, amid a worsening economic crisis, this golden age may be nearing its end.
