A conversation with:
Faysal Itani
Fellow, Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East
Atlantic Council

The Hon. Robert Ford
Senior Fellow
Middle East Institute

Richard Barrett
Senior Vice President
The Soufan Group

Moderated by:
Kim Ghattas
State Department Correspondent
British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Since August 2014, the US-led coalition air campaign against the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) has successfully inflicted casualties on ISIS and weakened its oil revenues. In a new Atlantic Council report, "Defeating the Jihadists in Syria: Competition before Confrontation," Faysal Itani acknowledges these positive yet limited results, but also presents the unintended consequences of this air campaign and US policy options given local Syrian realities. 

Itani details how coalition efforts accelerated the rise of the Nusra Front, an al-Qaeda affiliate, and the near-collapse of nationalist rebel forces. He proposes a US strategy to assist nationalist insurgents to defeat ISIS and the Nusra Front–by enabling them to compete with and contain jihadist groups, and ultimately confront them. Please join us for a conversation about the author's findings with expert commentators. 

DATE:         Tuesday, April 28, 2015

TIME:        11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. 
Light refreshments will be served. 

LOCATION:     Atlantic Council
1030 15th St NW, 12th floor (West Tower)
Washington, DC 20005