A Family Feud within Syria’s Ruling Dynasty Could Create Distance between Damascus and Tehran

This spring, a very public spat took place between the Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad and his first cousin, Rami Makhlouf, a billionaire businessman whose corruption and wealth symbolize, for many Syrians, the regime’s evils. Makhlouf, now out of favor, also played a major role in cementing his country’s alliance with Iran, which has been crucial in preserving the Assad clan’s rule in the face of the nine-year civil war. By contrast, Russia—Damascus’s other key ally—has had repeated squabbles with Makhlouf. For these reasons, argue Eran Lerman, Aiman Mansour, and Micky Aharonson, there are political and diplomatic consequences to the feud that could open strategic opportunities to the U.S. and Israel: