سوريا

There are plenty of policies that the United States could pursue, short of dropping bombs on Damascus, to hasten the Asad regime's fall.

FEATURING Amr al-Azm, Thomas E. Donilon, Robert Kagan, Hisham Kassem, Martin Kramer, James LaRocco, Robin Wright, Amos Yadlin, Dalia Ziada THE PROCEEDINGS In early 2011, the Middle East began a process of convulsive political change unlike any the region had witnessed in memory. Fueled by a heady mix of rage

An Interview by Bernard Gwertzman, CFR.org Despite objections from the international community, as well as Turkey's stern warning that Syria should end its five-month crackdown (NYT) on protesters, Syria's President Bashar al-Assad continues to press on with brutal attacks around the country. What's needed to stop Assad is concerted international

A key player and an unrelenting obstacle in the Middle East peace process, Syria has long been a thorn in Washington's side when it comes to forging strategic alliances with powers in the region. But only after the events of 9/11 and Damascus's staunch opposition to the War in Iraq

Western powers and their regional allies are increasingly understanding that just talking to Syrian president Bashar al-Asad about his brutality will not be enough to stop it.

Washington has several policy options short of military action to torque the pressure on the Syrian regime and to help the Syrians themselves topple the dictatorship.

Although the recent storming of the U.S. embassy in Syria ended without bloodshed, American personnel may not be so lucky in the future.

The United States should work with Turkey and other allies to halt the Asad regime's violence, avoid anarchy in the event of regime collapse, and prepare for a post-Asad era.

Testimony before the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, U.S. House of Representatives. "Recently, I journeyed to Lebanon's Wadi Khaled to visit with Syrian refugees who fled from the Sunni Muslim village of Tal Kalakh, which is surrounded by a constellation of villages dominated by Alawites -- the heterodox offshoot of