Syria in Transition

A magazine on Syrian politics and society that cuts through the noise. :بالعربي

[Syria in Transition @SyriaTransition]

The October issue is out!

We bring you a new issue packed with information, analysis, and the occasional commentary. We also introduce a new reoccurring feature: the monthly Business Diary. It will keep you up to date and paint a comprehensive picture by connecting major announcements and figures with on-the-ground experiences gathered by our reporters.

☑️ Get Rich or Die Tryin’: Syria’s government is pursuing a morally questionable economic policy that’s faltering
☑️ Al-Sharaa vs. McGurk: The UN General Assembly and the grammar of good and evil
☑️ Political theatre by a political performer: The Revival of the Al-Hamra Theatre under Nawar Bulbul
☑️ Syria Business Diary – September 2026: Twenty litres in Damascus, billions in Dubai
☑️ What the Knesset elections mean for Syria: A conversation with Ksenia Svetlova
☑️ Armenian Aleppo, one plate at a time: A restaurant review of Abu Hagop in Aleppo

https://t.co/eU4Qpynz6v

[Syria in Transition @SyriaTransition]

We spoke with @KseniaSvetlova about the upcoming elections in Israel and what they mean for Israeli-Syrian relations. While she believes opposition leaders would use their good ties to the Arab world to build a more coherent regional strategy, the constraints are significant.

https://t.co/aZZPl2lSjv

[Syria in Transition @SyriaTransition]

For those who want a concise briefing on Syria’s economy, we present the Business Diary. This is a monthly column in SiT covering the most important business and economic news, with context provided by expert opinion and local reporting. It’s economic journalism in colour. And, as always, without unnecessary verbiage.

Read the latest: https://t.co/mIMkDcgF0v

[Ksenia Svetlova كسنيا سفطلوفا @KseniaSvetlova]

שמחתי מאוד להתראיין למגזין SYRIA IN TRANSITION שסוקר באופן מעמיק את השינויים העוברים על סוריה בשנים האחרונות.

אמרתי שבעיני לישראל ולסוריה יש הזדמנות פז שאסור לפספס והערכתי שאם יהיה שינוי פוליטי, נראה התקדמות (גם אם איטית) קודם כל בזירה הזאת. דיברנו גם על נושא ההגנה עבור הדרוזים בדרום סוריה, על איך שתופסים את א-שרע בישראל ועל רצונו של נתניהו להשאיר את כל החזיתות פתוחות.

כנסו ללינק! הראיון באנגלית.

https://t.co/JE2t3xTZdP

[Syria in Transition @SyriaTransition]

Private donations raised the $30,000 needed to renovate Syria’s historic Al-Hamra Theatre in Damascus. It reopened in September under actor and director Nawar Bulbul, who has ambitious plans to usher in a new era of Syrian theatre. His conviction that artistic expression – including its political dimensions – should be free will now be tested on the public stage.

https://t.co/RdwMSQEvyb

[Syria in Transition @SyriaTransition]

On the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Brett McGurk attempted to elicit a public disavowal of al-Qaeda from Ahmad al-Sharaa, who resisted and turned the tables. The encounter tells a lot about a fundamental difference between the US establishment and Syria under al-Sharaa that may prove irreconcilable.

https://t.co/TAr5RsIfz4

[Syria in Transition @SyriaTransition]

By restricting women’s access to university programmes, Syria’s Higher Education Ministry has inadvertently fuelled a much wider debate about women’s rights – and Syrians’ growing expectation that government decisions can be challenged.

https://t.co/baTpXzdf78

[Syria in Transition @SyriaTransition]

Anyone familiar with Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham’s Idlib experiment will hardly be surprised by the Dubai-style consumerist culture on display. The current approach is best captured by the title of 50 Cent’s 2003 album, Get Rich or Die Tryin’. For the 90 percent of Syrians struggling to survive, that leaves a far greater prospect of death than of riches.

https://t.co/eLUlvWaYLA

[Syria in Transition @SyriaTransition]

Stay informed on Syria. From in-depth analysis to restaurant reviews – SiT is always political and produced with dedication.

Subscribe for free to receive new issues directly in your inbox.

https://t.co/yLTLFv6srM

[Syria in Transition @SyriaTransition]

"The food takes forever to prepare at Abu Hagop, and it is therefore better not to visit the restaurant when already on the brink of expiring from starvation. The two chefs behind the bar like to take their time to prepare everything properly, gamats gamats, as Armenians say – slowly, slowly."

Our restaurant critic tries out an Armenian establishment in Aleppo famed for its cured meats.

https://t.co/Te5ZSsuLFg

[Arab Digest @arabdigest]

🚨NEW PODCAST! 🚨
"Israel has to either put up or shut up." 🤔
Analyst Malik al-Abdeh says Israel has no real alternative to dealing with the al-Sharaa government. @BillLaw49 @SyriaTransition
Listen NOW! 🎧
https://t.co/phNWSq6c3B

[Alexander McKeever @AKMcKeever]

Abu Hagoup is a gem and is actually the very first place I ever visited in Aleppo, straight from the bus station with my backpack - thanks to Mr. Sufra. My favorite might be the Mortadella Halabiya (which you can also find in Yerevan's Gum market)
https://t.co/62bi9dDN2E

[Syria in Transition @SyriaTransition]

Knesset elections on 27 October will decide whether Israel continues under the leadership of Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud Party.
To learn more about what a change in power could mean for Israel’s Syria policy, and the prospects for Israeli-Syrian relations more broadly, we spoke with @KseniaSvetlova, Executive Director of the Regional Organisation for Peace, Economics & Security (@ROPESorg), policy fellow at the Israeli Institute for Regional and Foreign Policies (@Mitvim), and associate fellow at Chatham House (@ChathamHouse).
https://t.co/aZZPl2lSjv

[Aaron Y. Zelin @azelin]

Armenian Aleppo, one plate at a time: A restaurant review of Abu Hagop in Aleppo https://t.co/mFvjGZ3Mx8

[Syria in Transition @SyriaTransition]

Private donations raised the $30,000 needed to renovate Syria’s historic Al-Hamra Theatre in Damascus. It reopened in September under actor and director Nawar Bulbul, who has ambitious plans to usher in a new era of Syrian theatre, including Syria’s first International Theatre Festival in 2027.

More: https://t.co/sF0tI6LwxK

[Syria in Transition @SyriaTransition]

Introducing SiT’s first Syria Business Diary: bringing economic news to life through the people living it. What do fuel prices, banking reforms and billion-dollar deals mean for ordinary Syrians?

https://t.co/mIMkDcgF0v

[Syria in Transition @SyriaTransition]

New from our October issue:

The Salafi-jihadist ideology that once held HTS together may gradually be giving way to the glue of profit. According to informed sources, the Baraka Fund counts thousands of HTS members as shareholders, with shares available exclusively to the group’s members, despite its formal dissolution. One of Baraka Fund’s most visible investments is Taiba Petroleum, Syria’s number one gas station operator.

https://t.co/eLUlvWaYLA

[Syria in Transition @SyriaTransition]

New from our October issue:

On the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Brett McGurk attempted to elicit a public disavowal of al-Qaeda from Ahmad al-Sharaa, who resisted and turned the tables. The encounter tells a lot about a fundamental difference between the US establishment and Syria under al-Sharaa that may prove irreconcilable.

https://t.co/TAr5RsIfz4