Sharaa and the Americans: Back to Square One - The Syrian Observer

Syria: Constitutional Declaration Risks Endangering Rights

Click to expand Image Syria's interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, center, prepares to sign a constitutional declaration for Syria in Damascus, on March 13, 2025. © 2025 Omar Albam/AP Photo (Beirut) – Syria’s newly approved constitutional declaration, meant to govern the country’s transitional phase, concentrates power in the executive and could undermine the independence of the judiciary, Human Rights Watch said today. The declaration, endorsed …

One of the main challenges facing the new Syrian authorities is the integration of the north-eastern region of the country, currently controlled by the Kurds. In recent weeks, events have followed, including the signing of an agreement between Damascus and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.

Panel discussion in Qamishlo on Kurdish identity in Syria’s new constitution

A panel was held in Qamishlo to discuss how Kurdish identity is addressed in the Syrian transitional government’s 'draft constitution'. The event brought together representatives of political parties, civil society organizations, intellectuals, students, religious figures, and journalists. The panel began with a presentation by constitutional and public administration expert Zeydoun Al-Zoubi, who compared the 1950 constitution of the Syrian gove…

Kurds in Syria avoid demilitarization and Turkish hammer, for now

The signing of an agreement between General Mazloum Abdi, the commander-in-chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and interim Syrian ruler Ahmed al-Sharaa on March 10 comes at a critical juncture. It follows nearly two weeks after Kurdish militant leader Abdullah Öcalan called on his followers in the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) to lay down their arms and dissolve the group.Is there a connection between these two events?Öcalan’s call for …

Syria’s post-Assad future: Kurdish autonomy and Erdogan’s dilemma

That something similar could eventually be offered to the Kurds of Syria becomes a real possibility with the agreement reached between Sharaa and the SDF.

Sharaa and the Americans: Back to Square One - The Syrian Observer

The political and diplomatic efforts led personally by Ahmad al-Sharaa—through his travels and meetings with Western diplomats—alongside visits by his Foreign Minister, Assad al-Shibani, to several European capitals yielded notable results. These engagements began to foster Western, particularly European, acceptance of the new Syrian administration and consideration of entering into a pragmatic partnership with it. The U.S. stance, however, rema…