Syrien

As many refugees return to Syria, queues are forming outside passport offices as people try to leave. Four personal stories reflect the hopes, fears and unresolved questions of a country in transition

Ahmed al-Sharaa promised a peaceful Syria, but violence continues to shape the country's transition. A genuine national dialogue, political participation and a strategy to integrate former fighters into the army are essential, says political scientist Rahaf Aldoughli

Prostitution, drugs and illegal money dealing: Syria's black market is flourishing in the wake of Assad's fall. A lack of regulations and clarity is deterring new investment in the formal economy

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa is celebrated for liberating the country from the Assad regime. But the former militia leader has a dark past. Will the people, out of desperation, once again fall prey to a brutal dictator?

Four cultural figures in Syria and in exile discuss the future of art in the country

A visit to Kafranbel, a small Syrian town that became a hotspot of resistance. What remains of the spirit of the revolution?

How to get justice after the horrors Syria has witnessed? Sociologist Mohammed Bamyeh sees signs that the new leadership wants to come to terms with the past, but warns against selective justice

Under the Assad regime, tens of thousands of Syrians were tortured, some for years on end. Can a society ever overcome such trauma? A conversation with filmmaker Feras Fayyad

For the first time in eleven years, Yassin al-Haj Saleh returned to his homeland. The Syrian writer and dissident found a country torn apart by internal conflicts and beset by worries about the return of tyranny. A historical analysis

The Assad regime used minority protection as a pretext to pit different Syrian communities against each other. That left behind left deep wounds that are still painful today

Circus and theatre for refugee children in the middle of a conflict-torn area? The Flying Carpet Festival on the Turkish-Syrian border makes the impossible possible