U.S. Institute of Peace expert Mona Yacoubian tells Bernard Gwertzman the international pressure on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime seem to be easing—at least from Damascus’ perspective.

Scott Lasensky, who specializes in Syria and other Middle Eastern areas for the U.S. Institute of Peace, says Syria has mounted a major crackdown to try to silence the growing number of intellectuals…

Joshua M. Landis, a Syria expert who recently returned to the United States from Damascus, says that Syrian leaders are seeking to establish good relations with Iraq. He says the new prime minister o…