Sami Moubayed

Sami Moubayed is a Syrian historian and author of Under the Black Flag (IB Tauris, 2015). He is a former Carnegie scholar and founding chairman of the Damascus History Foundation.

Author Articles

At a standstill. Taxi drivers push their cars that ran out of fuel to a petrol station in Damascus, April 16. (AFP)
Damascus struggles with chronic petrol shortages
April 20, 2019
Risks and uncertainties. Turkish soldiers stand guard on the sides of the road during a patrol around the Syrian border at the demilitarised zone, last March.(DPA)
Clock ticks for Erdogan to decide on Syria
April 20, 2019
A strong comeback. Members of the Arab Socialist Ba’ath Party carry a poster of Syrian President Bashar Assad and Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah in southern Lebanon.(Reuters)
Syria political influence beats the odds, again, in Lebanon
April 13, 2019
Disenchantment. Unemployed men looking for jobs in Baghdad.(AP)
How failures of successive governments led Iraqis to utter despair
April 13, 2019
A Hezbollah supporter carries a poster of the group’s leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah in Maroun al-Ras village in southern Lebanon. (Reuters)
Hezbollah responds to deep woes with internal facelift
April 06, 2019
Illegal transaction. US President Donald Trump (L) and Israel’s Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu hold up a Golan Heights proclamation after a meeting in the White House in Washington, March 25.
Damascus with few options after Trump’s Golan move
March 30, 2019
Fighters from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the town of Tell Tamr in the countryside of Syria’s north-eastern Hasakah province, last December. (AFP)
Dark days ahead for Syria’s Kurds
March 23, 2019
Time to repay. Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad (R) meets the Iranian Commander of the Quds Force General Qassem Suleimani in Tehran, February 25. (SANA)
Iran’s mullahs see economic future in Syria
March 16, 2019
Wavering orders. US soldiers surveil the area during a patrol in Manbij.(Reuters)
Trump’s silence on Syria reversal raises questions
March 02, 2019
Bone of contention. Fighters from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham attend a mock battle in anticipation of an attack by the regime in the countryside of the northern province of Idlib, last August.(AFP)
Turkey’s geopolitical manoeuvres strike a sour note in Syria
February 23, 2019
A general view of the courthouse in Damascus. (Reuters)
Damascus infuriates Islamist conservatives with amendments to civil law
February 16, 2019
Treading a fine line. A Russian military vehicle follows a local vehicle in the area of Arimah, just west of Manbij, the northern city near the Turkish border. (AFP)
Russia revives old agreement to end Syria-Turkey dilemma
February 02, 2019
A military vehicle burns at the scene of a suicide car bomb attack in Syria’s north-eastern Hasakah province, January 21. (AFP)
ISIS attacks raise doubts about Trump’s ‘Mission Accomplished’ in Syria
January 26, 2019
New direction. Turkish military vehicles ride at the Bab el-Salam border crossing between the Syrian town of Azaz and the Turkish town of Kilis, January 1. (Reuters)
Developments shift Erdogan’s priorities in Syria
January 19, 2019
Few options, if any. Fighters from the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) monitor an area along Syria’s northern border with Turkey. (AFP)
Kurdish overtures to Damascus ‘reach their conclusion’
January 12, 2019
A Lebanese man shouts slogans during a protest against the months-long failure of rival political factions to agree on forming a new government, December 23. (dpa)
Anger simmers in Lebanon over government impasse
January 05, 2019
Officials and journalists gather outside the embassy of the United Arab Emirates in Damascus, December 27. (SANA)
Arab overtures towards Damascus as Syria situation shifts
January 05, 2019
Biggest winner. A Russian soldier (C) places the national flag at the Abu Duhur crossing on the eastern edge of Idlib, September 25. (AFP)
The 2018 winners and losers in Syria war
December 15, 2018
Educational outreach. A Syrian refugee girl holds a Russian ABC-book during a meeting of Syrian refugees in Losino-Petrovsky, about 50km north-east of Moscow. (AP)
Russia bolsters its outreach in Syria amid struggle for influence
December 08, 2018
Conflicting agendas. Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar (L) speaks with US Secretary of Defence James Mattis during a NATO meeting in Brussels, on October 4. (Reuters)
Trump walks tightrope between Turkish, Kurdish allies
November 24, 2018