Author Archive

On the Yazidi Mothers of Children Fathered by Jihadists

Posted by Matthew Barber on Thursday, April 4th, 2019

Interview with Lebanon’s Minister of Refugee Affairs, Mouin Merhebi

Posted by Matthew Barber on Friday, October 26th, 2018

Romancing Rojava: Rhetoric vs. Reality

Posted by Matthew Barber on Tuesday, July 31st, 2018

Turkey’s Afrin Operation Stokes Syrian Yazidi Fears and Fuels Displacement — by Sylvain Mercadier

Posted by Matthew Barber on Thursday, May 10th, 2018

Creating a New Syria: Property, Dispossession, and Regime Survival — by Erwin van Veen

Posted by Matthew Barber on Sunday, April 15th, 2018

Peak Fragility: Why The Middle East Is Doomed — by Ehsani

Posted by Matthew Barber on Tuesday, April 10th, 2018

Follow-Up and Correctives on Hashd al-Sha’bi Article

Posted by Matthew Barber on Thursday, February 15th, 2018

The Militias in Iraq, From Popular Mobilization to Political Interference

Posted by Matthew Barber on Saturday, February 10th, 2018

What the KRG’s Loss of Kirkuk Means for Iraq

Posted by Matthew Barber on Tuesday, October 17th, 2017

Minorities and the Kurdish Referendum—by Alda Benjamen

Posted by Matthew Barber on Wednesday, October 11th, 2017

KRG Targets Minorities Ahead of Kurdistan Independence Referendum — Part Two: Annexing Christian Lands

Posted by Matthew Barber on Saturday, September 30th, 2017

Iraqi Minorities Face a Dilemma in Kurdish Independence

Posted by Matthew Barber on Sunday, September 24th, 2017

Kurdish Independence and the Unheard Yazidi Voice — by Murad Ismael

Posted by Matthew Barber on Friday, September 22nd, 2017

KRG Targets Minorities Ahead of Kurdistan Independence Referendum — Part One: Exploiting the Yazidi Genocide

Posted by Matthew Barber on Wednesday, September 6th, 2017

Resolving Article 140: Settling the Issue of Iraq’s Disputed Territories Ahead of an Independence Referendum for Kurdistan

Posted by Matthew Barber on Thursday, July 13th, 2017

The End of the PKK in Sinjar? How the Hashd al-Sha’bi Can Help Resolve the Yazidi Genocide

Posted by Matthew Barber on Tuesday, May 30th, 2017

The KRG’s Relationship with the Yazidi Minority and the Future of the Yazidis in Shingal (Sinjar)

Posted by Matthew Barber on Tuesday, January 31st, 2017

Kurdish Blockade of Sinjar Harms Yazidis: New HRW Report

Posted by Matthew Barber on Tuesday, December 6th, 2016

Report on Mass Graves of Yazidis in Sinjar

Posted by Matthew Barber on Saturday, January 30th, 2016

The Plight of Syria’s Druze Minority and U.S. Options

Posted by Matthew Barber on Wednesday, September 9th, 2015

ISIS: A Caliphate of Torture and Rape

Posted by Matthew Barber on Tuesday, August 18th, 2015

How to Understand Those 60 Trainees

Posted by Matthew Barber on Friday, August 14th, 2015

The Iran-Syria Alliance: Sectarianism or Realpolitik? — by Mohammad Ataie

Posted by Matthew Barber on Sunday, June 14th, 2015

Sheikh Muhammad al-Yaqoubi Responds to al-Julani’s al-Jazeera Interview

Posted by Matthew Barber on Sunday, May 31st, 2015

Syria in Limbo: Neither Reunification nor Partition Are Yet Possible

Posted by Matthew Barber on Sunday, May 24th, 2015

Round-Up: Palmyra, Contingency Planning for Regime Losses, UN Response to Enslavement Crisis

Posted by Matthew Barber on Saturday, May 23rd, 2015

New Dabiq Issue Reiterates Justifications for Yazidi Enslavement

Posted by Matthew Barber on Thursday, May 21st, 2015

The Alawi Community and the Syria Crisis – by Fabriche Balanche

Posted by Matthew Barber on Tuesday, May 19th, 2015

Conference Announcement—Syria: Moving Beyond the Stalemate

Posted by Matthew Barber on Sunday, May 17th, 2015

HRW: “ISIS Escapees Describe Systematic Rape”

Posted by Matthew Barber on Wednesday, April 15th, 2015

The Children of Syria: A War and Image Industry

Posted by Matthew Barber on Friday, April 3rd, 2015

The Kobani Model: Strengthening Kurdish-Arab Relations in Syria

Posted by Matthew Barber on Thursday, March 19th, 2015

Meet the Badris

Posted by Matthew Barber on Friday, March 13th, 2015

Video presents views of al-Qaida’s European jihadists in Syria

Posted by Matthew Barber on Tuesday, March 10th, 2015

Train-and-Equip: Fight for Pluralism in Syria

Posted by Matthew Barber on Monday, March 9th, 2015

Interviewing Asad — by David W. Lesch

Posted by Matthew Barber on Sunday, March 8th, 2015

Syrian Refugees Collectivizing in Jordan Becomes a Security Issue — by Katy Montoya

Posted by Matthew Barber on Wednesday, February 18th, 2015

Syria News Round-Up Feb. 9, 2015

Posted by Matthew Barber on Monday, February 9th, 2015

J.K. Gani’s “The Role of Ideology in Syrian-US Relations” — Reviewed by Julio Rivera

Posted by Matthew Barber on Saturday, February 7th, 2015

After Burning of Muaz al-Kasasbeh, Jordan & al-Azhar’s Gestures of Vengeance Will Not Heal

Posted by Matthew Barber on Friday, February 6th, 2015

News Round-Up

Posted by Matthew Barber on Wednesday, January 21st, 2015

Syria: Should the United States Do More? — Debate at the McCain Institute

Posted by Matthew Barber on Sunday, January 18th, 2015

Footnotes on the SSNP—Comments from Nouhad Samaan, Head of SSNP in Homs

Posted by Matthew Barber on Friday, January 2nd, 2015

Resurgence of the SSNP in Syria: An Ideological Opponent of the Regime Gets a Boost from the Conflict

Posted by Matthew Barber on Friday, December 19th, 2014

Will the Revolutionary Command Council be Syria’s New Rebel Government?

Posted by Matthew Barber on Saturday, December 13th, 2014

On Camps and Cities: The Lived Experience of Displaced Syrians in Jordan

Posted by Matthew Barber on Friday, December 12th, 2014

Video: ISIS, Yazidis, and the Enslavement of Thousands of Women

Posted by Matthew Barber on Wednesday, December 10th, 2014

Al-Qaeda’s Syrian Judiciary—is it really what al-Jolani makes it out to be?

Posted by Matthew Barber on Sunday, November 9th, 2014

Islamic State Officially Admits to Enslaving Yazidi Women

Posted by Matthew Barber on Sunday, October 12th, 2014

The Yazidis Are Not Getting Support

Posted by Matthew Barber on Sunday, October 5th, 2014

If the U.S. Wanted To, It Could Help Free Thousands of Enslaved Yazidi Women in a Single Day

Posted by Matthew Barber on Tuesday, September 16th, 2014

The Unintended Consequences of Closing and Restricting Jordan-Syria Border Crossings—by Justin Schon

Posted by Matthew Barber on Thursday, August 14th, 2014

Sinjar Was Only the Beginning—by Matthew Barber

Posted by Matthew Barber on Friday, August 8th, 2014

IS Routs Peshmerga, Takes Control of Sinjar Mountains, Jeopardizes Yazidi Homeland

Posted by Matthew Barber on Sunday, August 3rd, 2014

The Expulsion of Mosul’s Christians, part 1: The Account of the Kidnapped Nuns

Posted by Matthew Barber on Saturday, August 2nd, 2014

The Six Words You Need to Know to Be a Successful Jihadi and Establish Your Own Caliphate

Posted by Matthew Barber on Sunday, July 6th, 2014

“Bilal” – by Stephen Boeshaar

Posted by Matthew Barber on Tuesday, June 17th, 2014

Joshua Landis & Robert Ford discuss Syria at Wilson Center event

Posted by Matthew Barber on Sunday, June 15th, 2014

Insurgency and Counterinsurgency in Syria – by Fabrice Balanche

Posted by Matthew Barber on Friday, June 13th, 2014

Religious Groups and Scholars of Islam in the Syrian Revolution – by Issam Eido

Posted by Matthew Barber on Sunday, June 1st, 2014

Syrians in Lebanon Vote in Presidential Elections

Posted by Matthew Barber on Thursday, May 29th, 2014

Did the Killing of Abu Bassir Lead to the First Lattakia Offensive?

Posted by Matthew Barber on Sunday, April 27th, 2014

Middle-East’s Sectarian Balance Shifts as Syrian Uprising Enters Fourth Year — by Jawad Anwar Qureshi

Posted by Matthew Barber on Thursday, March 20th, 2014

Detailed Syria Maps; Activists Honor Revolution Dead in Washington

Posted by Matthew Barber on Saturday, March 15th, 2014

Starvation: a Twisted Example of the Assad Regime’s Terrorism

Posted by Matthew Barber on Saturday, February 1st, 2014

New ISIS Leaks Reveal Particulars of al-Qaida Strategy

Posted by Matthew Barber on Sunday, January 12th, 2014

All this talk about Assad staying…

Posted by Matthew Barber on Sunday, December 22nd, 2013

Administrative Update plus Round-Up

Posted by Matthew Barber on Thursday, December 19th, 2013

The Names of the Revolution

Posted by Matthew Barber on Saturday, December 14th, 2013

Recapitalising the Syrian Banking System: Costs and Challenges

Posted by Matthew Barber on Monday, November 11th, 2013

Aymenn al-Tamimi Speaks to Ali Kayali and Profiles “The Syrian Resistance,” a Pro-Assad Militia Force

Posted by Matthew Barber on Sunday, September 22nd, 2013

Jabhat al-Nusra and Other Islamists Briefly Capture Historic Christian Town of Ma’loula

Posted by Matthew Barber on Thursday, September 5th, 2013

Chemical Weapons and Responses; The Developing Story of Tripoli’s Bombing; Theories on Outcomes for Syria

Posted by Matthew Barber on Sunday, September 1st, 2013

Should the Use of Chemical Weapons Prompt a US Attack in Syria?

Posted by Matthew Barber on Monday, August 26th, 2013

Problems for Syrians in Egypt; News from Kurdish North; Looting & Oil; Round-up

Posted by Matthew Barber on Thursday, August 1st, 2013

The Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham Expands Into Rural Northern Syria

Posted by Matthew Barber on Thursday, July 18th, 2013

Where Does Jabhat al-Nusra End, and the Islamic State of Iraq & ash-Sham Begin?

Posted by Matthew Barber on Saturday, July 13th, 2013

Round-up: News from the North, Changes to Opposition, Egypt, and a lot of Miscellany

Posted by Matthew Barber on Monday, July 8th, 2013

The End of the Line: A Microbus Map of Damascus – by Matthew McNaught

Posted by Matthew Barber on Tuesday, July 2nd, 2013

The Effect of the Conflict on Syrian Banking and Economy

Posted by Matthew Barber on Friday, June 28th, 2013

Round Up: Lethal Aid, Human Interest Stories, Lebanon

Posted by Matthew Barber on Sunday, June 23rd, 2013

Clerics in Egypt Call for Global Jihad Against Regime’s Shiite Allies, Egypt Cuts Syria Ties

Posted by Matthew Barber on Monday, June 17th, 2013

Round Up: Qusayr, Hezbollah, Regional Sectarianism, Ehsani on Economics, Foreign Jihadis Behead & Kill for Blasphemy, US Intervention Proposal

Posted by Matthew Barber on Thursday, June 13th, 2013

“Let ‘Lawfare’ Shape the Conflict, Not the Flow of Arms” – By David Falt

Posted by Matthew Barber on Saturday, June 8th, 2013

Turkey Engulfed in Protests, Syria Conflict Worries Turkish Alevis, Syrian Turkomen Support Opposition

Posted by Matthew Barber on Sunday, June 2nd, 2013

“The Turkish-Syrian Border Dispute: A View From the Past” – By Meir Zamir

Posted by Matthew Barber on Sunday, June 2nd, 2013

Sheikh Muhammad al-Yaqoubi Interviewed by Syria Comment

Posted by Matthew Barber on Thursday, May 30th, 2013

Has the War Reached Lebanon? Meanwhile, Obama Updates War on Terror

Posted by Matthew Barber on Tuesday, May 28th, 2013

Brotherhood Figures Block Yaqoubi’s Appointment, Post-Confirmation

Posted by Matthew Barber on Monday, May 27th, 2013

Sheikh al-Yaqoubi Elected to the NC—its first non-Brotherhood-aligned religious figure

Posted by Matthew Barber on Wednesday, May 22nd, 2013

Oil Wars—Nusra’s Expanding Reach—Syrian Taliban

Posted by Matthew Barber on Saturday, April 27th, 2013

Jordan Shudders Under 331% Increase in Refugees as Conflict in Dera’a Intensifies

Posted by Matthew Barber on Sunday, April 21st, 2013

Regime Gains Ground—For Now

Posted by Matthew Barber on Wednesday, April 17th, 2013

Islamic State Declared in Syria

Posted by Matthew Barber on Sunday, April 14th, 2013

The Raqqa Story: Rebel Structure, Planning, and Possible War Crimes

Posted by Matthew Barber on Thursday, April 4th, 2013

Dera’a is Falling

Posted by Matthew Barber on Friday, March 29th, 2013

Drones, A New Alawite Opposition, Obama in Israel

Posted by Matthew Barber on Saturday, March 23rd, 2013

Lebanese Tension, Egyptian Chaos, Iraqi Memories… and all the news from Syria

Posted by Matthew Barber on Wednesday, March 20th, 2013

al-Nusra, al-Raqqa, Calls for Jihad, River of Death

Posted by Matthew Barber on Thursday, March 14th, 2013

“The Uprising and the New Syria: Islamists Rise in Raqqa while Damascene Christians Dodge Fire” By Matthew Barber

Posted by Matthew Barber on Sunday, March 10th, 2013