Baath Party

A who's who of the Assad family in Syria

Sunni majority Syria was carved out of Ottoman Turkey in 1945, but since 1970, the Assad clan from an Alawite minority has ruled over it.

US-Turkey talks on joint task force is a positive development, experts say

Ankara expects to develop a common understanding with Washington on a Turkey-friendly safe zone in northern Syria. Are the two allies close to reaching a final deal?

A Syria without Assad is the first step towards building a better nation

Assad's departure from power, far from being settled, is necessary for Syrians wishing to build a better country.

Iraq's melting pot of Kirkuk struggles with ethnic cohesion

Since the fall of Saddam Hussein, consecutive governments have failed to solve the ethnic crisis in the city of Kirkuk, and last year's failed northern Iraq independence referendum has not improved the situation.

Fifteen years on: the legacy of the criminal US invasion of Iraq

The de-Baathification and complete dismantling of the existing political, military, academic, and civil services institutions by the US and their local allies has condemned the country's political and economic growth for the foreseaable future.

Syria's Daraa region has schools run by the regime, the rebels and Daesh

Syrians continue to pursue education facing hardships caused by the ongoing civil war. Three types of schools have emerged out of the chaos.

One Party, One Leader: Life under the Assads in Syria

After seven years of war it can be easy to forget why Syrians rose up against Bashar al Assad in the first place. This is the story of one man's life under Baath Party rule in Syria.

Is Assad really an ally to Kurds in Syria?

After Turkey’s operation against the YPG in Syria’s Afrin started, the Syrian regime aligned with the YPG against Turkey. Here's the history of Kurdish relations with the Syrian regime through the lens of a Kurdish activist who long opposed Assad.