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For more than four decades, power in Syria has been concentrated around the Assad family and the Syrian Baath Party. Over the course of the revolution, the circle has tightened to a core of Assad family members and staunch loyalists in the military, security, and intelligence establishment. From a round of research and interviews, these seem to be the most relevant players, the key people running the regime as it battles the revolution:

Reports on Syria from UN Agencies
More Syria Analysis & Background Information
Monitoring the Conflict and the Dynamics Behind It
Documenting Abuses on All Sides of the Fight
News and resources from the British Broadcasting Corporation
Updates and insights from Professor Josh Landis
Activist Ammar Abdulhamid Blogs the Uprising
Crowdmap Documenting Ground Reports from Syria
Beirut-Based Website Posting Live Updates
Bloggers & Citizen Media Stories About Syria