October 29, 2008
U.S. Embassy in Damascus Could Close as Tension Rises
The U.S. Embassy in Syria may close to the public for security reasons after a deadly raid near the country's border with Iraq caused public outcry against the United States.

October 27, 2008
Syria Accuses U.S. of Killing Eight in Deadly Border Raid
A funeral was held Monday for eight civilians killed in an attack on an eastern Syrian village on the Iraq border that Syria claims was carried out by U.S. forces.

October 15, 2008
Syria, Lebanon Formalize Diplomatic Ties; Border Issue Remains
Officials in Syria and Lebanon signed an agreement Wednesday formalizing diplomatic ties between the two countries for the first time since they gained independence in the 1940s.

May 3, 2007
U.S.-Syrian Officials Meet at Iraq Summit
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met with Syrian officials in Egypt Thursday to talk about Syria's role in determining Iraq's future. A Washington Post reporter discusses the first high-level talks between the two countries since 2005.

December 22, 2006
Senator Urges Talks with Syria to Ease Iraq Violence
Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., who recently returned from a trip to the Middle East where he visited several countries including U.S. foe Syria, discusses how he thinks Iraq's neighbors can help ease the sectarian violence.

December 12, 2006
U.S. Resists Calls to Engage Syria in Iraq Planning
The recently released Iraq Study Group report called on the Bush administration to end its isolation of Syria, a move that sparked renewed debate over the American approach to dealing with Damascus.

November 21, 2006
Iraq and Syria Restore Relations After 24-year Rift
Iraq restored full diplomatic relations with Syria Tuesday in an effort to stem militant violence and garner favor with other Arab states. David Schenker and Robert Malley discuss the new alliance and its possible impact.

April 25, 2006
Syrian Leader Meets with U.N. in Assassination Probe
Update: Syrian President Bashar Assad met Tuesday with U.N. investigator Serge Brammertz to discuss Syria's alleged role in the killing of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

January 2, 2006
Former Syrian Vice President Faces Treason Charges after TV Interview
Update: Officials in Damascus and the United Nations continued to react to the explosive allegations made by the former Syrian vice president Friday in which he said Syrian President Bashar Assad threatened former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri several months before Hariri was assassinated.

December 29, 2005
Syria Seeks Public Support in the Face of International Criticism
Syrian authorities have launched a public relations campaign touting the country as a peaceful nation and lashing out against international condemnation over allegations of top Syrian officials' involvement in recent high-profile assassinations. Special correspondent Simon Marks reports from Damascus on the country's efforts to refute its critics.

December 12, 2005
U.N. Report Implicates 19 in Hariri Probe; Second Anti-Syrian Lawmaker Killed
Update: Crowds in Lebanon Monday blamed the car bombing death of anti-Syrian lawmaker Gibran Tueni on Syria, the same day a U.N. report urged Syrian officials to make arrests in the Feb. 14 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Tueni's death marks the latest in a series of attacks on anti-Syrian Lebanese leaders.

December 4, 2005
U.N. Investigators to Question Five Witnesses in Hariri Death Probe
Update: A U.N. team investigating the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri will question five Syrian witnesses in the case in Vienna Monday, following an agreement between Syrian officials and lead U.N. investigator Detlev Mehlis.

November 10, 2005
Syrian President Promises Limited Cooperation with U.N.
Update: Syrian President Bashar Assad pledged Thursday to cooperate with a U.N. investigation into the death of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri but said he would not place his country's national interests at risk in doing so.

October 31, 2005
U.N. Urges Syrian Cooperation in Hariri Death Probe
Update: Syria must cooperate "unconditionally" with a United Nations investigation into the death of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri or face "further action," a U.N. Security Council resolution said Monday.

October 28, 2005
Syrian President Faces Choice Between Family Loyalty and International Seclusion
Update: As a U.N. investigation into the death of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri continues, pressure from the United States and others may force Syria's President Bashar Assad to split with close internal advisors or face further international isolation.

October 26, 2005
International Pressure Builds on Syria Over Hariri Probe and Lebanon
Update: The United States, France and Britain have drafted a resolution that could impose sanctions on Syria unless it more fully cooperates with an ongoing United Nations investigation into the murder of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
Document: U.N. investigation report
Document: Secretary General Kofi Annan's accompanying cover letter

October 21, 2005
U.N. Probe Links Assad Government to Hariri Murder
Update: A United Nations inquiry into the Feb. 14 car bomb assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri named several top Syrian and Lebanese officials Friday as suspects in the crime.
Transcript: Two Middle East experts discuss the countries' alleged involvement.

June 9, 2005
Syria's Ruling Party Votes for Political Reform
Update: Syria's ruling Baath Party, weakened by a struggling economy and the country's military withdrawal from Lebanon, voted for limited legal and political reforms at the end of a national conference Thursday.

May 30, 2005
Baath Party Conference to Open Amid Calls for Democratic Reform
Members of Syria's Baath Party will meet in June for the first time in five years to discuss party politics. Among the topics to be addressed, mounting international pressure for President Bashar Assad to institute steps toward reforming the authoritarian regime.

April 26, 2005
Syrian Military Leaves Lebanon After 29 Years
Update: Syria's 29-year military presence in Lebanon ended Tuesday when the last Syrian soldiers crossed back over the border, completing a withdrawal brought by international pressure and massive Lebanese street protests.

March 14, 2005
Demonstrators Seek Syrian Withdrawal, Probe into Hariri's Death
Update: In the largest anti-Syrian protest since the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, hundreds of thousands of people gathered in Beirut's Martyrs' Square on Monday to rally for a full Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon.

March 10, 2005
Lebanon's Political Tides
Lebanon's president reappointed Prime Minister Omar Karami on Thursday, less than two weeks after the pro-Syrian premier resigned. An editor at the Daily Star in Beirut reports on Lebanon's political tides.

March 8, 2005
Pro-Syrian Protesters Rally in Beirut
Update: About 500,000 pro-Syrian demonstrators gathered in the Lebanese capital of Beirut Tuesday, chanting anti-American slogans and waving flags to counter anti-Syrian rallies held earlier this week.

March 7, 2005
Exit Strategy
Syrian troops began to withdraw from Lebanon Monday in response to growing protests over Syria's presence in the country. Two regional experts discuss the implications of the partial pullback.

March 7, 2005
Syria Announces Partial Lebanon Troop Pullback
Update: Syria will immediately begin a phased troop pullback in Lebanon, the presidents of both countries announced Monday in a joint statement.

March 4, 2005
Syria to Announce Partial Withdrawal of Troops from Lebanon
Update: Former Lebanese government officials announced Friday that Syria will soon begin a partial withdrawal of troops from Lebanon, but President Bush said the United States would not accept anything other than a full withdrawal of Syrian troops and officials.

March 2, 2005
Spotlight on Syria
President Bush and other world leaders are pressuring Syria to withdraw its 15,000 troops from Lebanon. Syrian Ambassador to the United States Imad Moustapha discusses the pressure facing his government.

February 28, 2005
Spotlight on Syria
Lebanese Prime Minister Omar Karami resigned Monday amid opposition protests since the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Experts assess the continued political turmoil within Lebanon and the increasing diplomatic pressure on Syria, whom many blame for the political murder.

February 15, 2005
Egyptian Perspective
Egypt's Foreign Minister discusses the Egyptian perspective on recent developments in the Middle East, including the assassination of former Lebanese Premier Rafik Hariri and the recent peace talks between Israel and Palestine.

February 15, 2005
Assassination
The former Prime Minister of Lebanon, Rafik Hariri, was killed Monday in a car bombing in Beirut. Jim Lehrer leads a discussion on the aftermath of the assassination with two Syria experts.

February 14, 2005
Former Lebanese Prime Minister Killed in Car Bomb Attack
Update: Former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri was killed in a car bomb attack in Beirut Monday that left 13 people dead and some 100 wounded.

May 2, 2003
Syria at the Crossroads
Colin Powell arrived in Syria Friday for talks with President Bashar al-Assad and Foreign Minister Farouk al-Sharaa. Simon Marks reports on what may lie ahead for Iraq's western neighbor now that Saddam Hussein's regime has been ousted.

April 17, 2003
Newsmaker: Colin Powell
United States Secretary of State Colin Powell discusses recent concerns about Syria and U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East.

April 16, 2003
Syria Pledges Cooperation, U.S. Says No Plans for War
Update: The Syrian government Wednesday pledged to work with the U.S. to help Iraqis, but added it would not close down Palestinian militant groups. The statement comes after Secretary of State Colin Powell said Tuesday that the United States had no plans to attack Syria.

April 14, 2003
The Country Next Door
The U.S. warned Syria not to harbor Iraqi leaders or develop weapons of mass destruction, two charges vigorously denied by the Syrian government. Experts discuss the meaning of these strong warnings and what they may mean for the future.

April 13, 2003
U.S. Officials Warn Syria Not to Harbor Iraqi Leaders
Update: President Bush and other senior U.S. officials called on Syria Sunday not to obstruct the coalition military efforts by taking in fleeing Iraqi officials.

March 31, 2003
Syria Reaffirms Opposition to U.S.-Led War in Iraq
Update: Following new warnings from Secretary of State Colin Powell to stop backing the Iraqi leadership, Syria announced Monday it has chosen to support Iraq against an "illegal" American-led "occupation" of Iraq.

March 28, 2003
Defense Secretary Rumsfeld Warns Syria, Iran
Update: During a Pentagon briefing Friday, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld issued a warning to Syria, who he accused of selling military equipment to Iraq, and to Iran, who he said is backing anti-Saddam Hussein Shiite fighters who have entered the war zone.

March 24, 2003
Syria Says Bus Carrying Civilians Bombed By Coalition Plane
Update: Syria on Monday condemned what it said was a coalition bombing of a bus carrying Syrian civilians that killed five and injured ten of the 37 workers on the bus who were returning from Iraq.

June 12, 2000
After Assad
Syria mourns the death of President Hafez al-Assad as his son moves to consolidate power.

December 16, 1999
Path to Peace
The two day Israel-Syria peace talks concluded successfully, with the two countries pledging to meet in January to continue negotiations.

December 15, 1999
Path to Peace
Israel-Syria peace talks begin in Washington. They are the highest-level negotiations ever conducted by the two nations. Experts discuss the possibilities.

December 15, 1999
Israel and Syria Continue Peace Talks
Update: Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk al-Sharaa and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak opened historic peace talks Wednesday, trying to work out a land-for-peace deal that would help end 51 years of conflict.