As international attention focuses on the Syrian regime of President Bashar al-Assad, cfr.org profiles some of the nation’s top leaders.

The United States has long tried to compel Syria to adjust its behavior, but rarely with any result. This backgrounder examines the current U.S. policy options toward Syria.

As Israeli air strikes decimate Lebanon, the elected government in Beirut is weak, divided, and seems powerless to control Hezbollah, whose attack on an Israeli convoy July 12 started the conflict.

The relationship between Syria and Iran is receiving new scrutiny as an Israeli offensive against Lebanon—sparked by an attack on Israeli soldiers by the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which is s…

Bashar al-Assad, whose regime looked shaky under international pressure last year, is consolidating his power and cracking down on dissent. Despite a UN probe linking Syrian officials to the assassin…