The 10 March Agreement between Syrian President Ahmad Al-Sharaa and Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) commander Mazloum Abdi appears increasingly frozen, though no party has yet declared it void. Developments on the ground—most notably the Syrian Army’s takeover of the Sheikh Maqsoud and Al-Ashrafiyah neighborhoods in Aleppo—have fundamentally altered the balance …

Damascus’ effort to force remaining Kurdish militia fighters out of the northern city of Aleppo will set back efforts to construct an inclusive, national political structure in post-Assad Syria. The Syrian offensive undermined U.S. negotiations to integrate its anti-ISIS partner, the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), into the central government …

Anti-government demonstrations in nearly 200 Iranian cities continue to expand and intensify despite the increasing use of force by regime security forces. The failure of the security forces to quell the unrest indicates that the opposition is highly motivated and that security personnel might be hesitant to carry out orders …