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Ross Burns

Ross Burns’s first experience of Syria was as Australian ambassador to Damascus from 1984–87. In the years before his retirement in 2003 he undertook other assignments as head of mission including at UNESCO and in South Africa (covering the transition from De Klerk to Nelson Mandela’s presidency), Greece and Israel. He has written a number of books on the history of Syria, the latest of which is Understanding Syria in 40 Monuments: A Story of Survival (Bloomsbury, 2024). He maintains a website at monumentsofsyria.com.

International Ross Burns 14 May 2025 The benefits of thawing relations between Ahmed al-Sharaa’s government and the West could be undone by Israeli interference
International Ross Burns 14 December 2024 A former Damascus-based diplomat watched from afar Syria’s long fight to shake off a brutal dynasty International Ross Burns 25 June 2019 Whether he knows it or not, Donald Trump is doing the crown prince’s bidding International Ross Burns 28 September 2018 Funds for a campaign to publicise the destruction of historical sites might be better spent where the damage was done International Ross Burns 20 July 2018 Syria’s seven-year conflict is favouring those who play the long game
International Ross Burns 17 April 2018 Chemical weapons have been a feature of the Syrian conflict since 2011. Are we any closer to a strategy to deal with their use — and with the forces fuelling the wider conflict? International Ross Burns 25 September 2017 Foreign interference, however well-intentioned, could still prolong the conflict International Ross Burns 24 June 2017 Islamic State’s destruction of the heritage of a great Islamic leader, Nur al-Din, signals a new desperation International Ross Burns 10 April 2017 Signs that Bashar al-Assad is panicking could create an opportunity to re-engage the Syrian peace talks