Alawites

Trying to explain the intricacies of the Lebanese quagmire is never a simple matter, especially to someone not well-versed in politics.

The world must not allow the Syrian crisis to "play itself out," as some analysts have suggested: This threat to the country's minorities (many of whom are unarmed) is simply too great, and the consequences too severe, to play this sort of Russian roulette on a national-societal scale.

What are the possible scenarios for a post-Assad Syria, in both the short- and long-terms, and how is the global community prepared to deal with them?

If the Obama administration continues on its present course and does not confront the Russian-Syrian arms transfers with tougher resolve, it won't be merely "leading from behind"; it will be turning its back on the growing humanitarian catastrophe.

What we seem to have is a three-level chess game in Syria: internal, regional and worldwide.

Without facts, the Syrian story does not stand a chance in overcoming the enmity and rancor felt by both sides. False narratives, even heartfelt ones, will only keep conflict buzzing. Kudos to Stratfor for underlining the importance of information transparency.

It is no longer a question if Bashar al-Assad will fall -- it is a matter of when. Now the matter becomes what happens after Assad leaves.

Things are changing fast in Syria and they lead to an important question: can the besieged Bashar Assad continue to rely on the communal support of the Alawites in his armed forces?

This has been beyond the wildest of dreams, but the regime of Syria's Bashar Assad will probably fall. Compared to other Arab autocrats, the Assad re...

There are millions of protesters on the Arab street but Syrians are surprisingly missing from the crowd. This eerie absence is disturbing, to say the least.