Deborah Amos

Gulf states are the top donors to the United Nations, and they allow Syrians to come on work visas. But they won't resettle Syrians because the Gulf doesn't recognize the legal concept of refugees.

As more Syrian refugees board rickety boats on the Turkish coast, the Islamic State is cranking up its propaganda campaign.

The refugee crisis is also becoming a crisis for ISIS, as Syrians reject the group's claim that the so-called caliphate offers a safe haven, and the refugees instead opt for ...

Syria doesn't have a history of free and open elections, but in the past few weeks Syrians have been voting with their feet. After four years of brutal civil war, Syrians are registering a sense of hopelessness and are willing to risk dangerous journeys for a chance to start over ...

Hiba Ezzideen, a 29-year-old Syrian activist, recently made it to a refugee camp near the German border after a perilous 20-day journey. She had set off alone from southern Turkey, walked for hours, rode in a sealed truck, boarded an overcrowded raft and slept on the streets and in a ...

In a conservative country where opportunities for entertainment are limited, online video games give Saudis the chance for some fun. With powerful female characters, they also convey social messages.

Many Syrian refugee children haven't been to school in years. NPR's Deborah Amos visits one school in southern Turkey that serves as a refuge for those lucky enough to attend.

Syrian medical student Hazem Halabi has become an expert on chlorine as a weapon of war. He made his first investigation in April 2014, after an alleged attack on the village of Kafr Zeta in northern Syria.

Villagers reported waking up before dawn to the buzz of helicopters and an ...

As Secretary of Defense Ash Carter visits the region, Saudi Arabia seems to have changed its mind about the nuclear deal between Iran, the U.S. and other world powers.

The U.S. now has permission to use a Turkish air base near the border with Syria to launch airstrikes against the self-proclaimed Islamic State, U.S. officials say.

They protested against the Assad regime in 2011, hoping for democracy. Now they're in exile, fighting extremists for their country's future and trying to provide a lifeline for others back in Syria.

How much does hope cost? For many Syrian families the price was counted in tens of thousands of dollars — which many were willing to pay for signs that a missing friend or relative was still alive in Syria's vast prison system.

A trove of pictures from a Syrian police ...

About a year ago, a Syrian police photographer smuggled out photos of thousands killed by the regime. Now activists are showing the photos in rebel areas in Syria and this week in the U.S. Capitol.

American and Iranian officials are praising the nuclear agreement reached in Vienna, Austria, on Tuesday. But Iran is a regional rival to many Arab states — many would say a regional threat.

A Syrian forensic photographer, who goes by Caesar, took thousands of photos of those who have died in Syria's prisons. His photos will be on display in the halls of the U.S. Congress on Wednesday.

Syrian Christians face new threats from a rebel coalition that is fighting both the self-declared Islamic State and the regime.

For years, Saudi Arabia seemed immune from the wars and chaos of the Middle East region — but not anymore. The sectarian violence raging on its borders hit home in May, when militants from the self-proclaimed Islamic State or ISIS launched two suicide attacks on mosques in Saudi's eastern province, ...

Saudi Arabia's stock market opened on Monday to foreign traders for the first time. Why have the Saudis opened the market now, and what does it mean for the market and for investors?

When Houthi rebels stormed Yemen's capital in January, President Abed-Rabbo Mansour Hadi was driven from power and placed under house arrest. He escaped and then fled by sea in March. Now, Hadi and his top ministers are comfortably ensconced in a five-star guest palace in Saudi Arabia's capital of Riyadh.

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Saudi Arabia's new king has been on the throne for just a few months. He launched an air campaign in Yemen against Shiite rebels, and he also increased support for anti-government rebels in Syria.