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Limited and constrained: The Biden administration and the prospects of a Syria policy

MENASource Dec 3, 2020

Limited and constrained: The Biden administration and the prospects of a Syria policy

By Abdulrahman al-Masri

While any departure from the Trump administration’s transactional and inconsistent leadership is welcomed, the hopes surrounding the incoming Biden administration’s return to engagement in Syria requires more in-depth scrutiny.
Politics & Diplomacy Syria
Will US troops actually leave Syria in exchange for hostages?

MENASource Oct 26, 2020

Will US troops actually leave Syria in exchange for hostages?

By Abdulrahman al-Masri

While the talks between Washington and the Bashar al-Assad regime may be in its early stages, Donald Trump may want to secure some pre-election victories by securing the release of hostages and the return of soldiers.
Middle East Politics & Diplomacy
Reliable no more? The current state of the Syrian armed forces

MENASource Sep 22, 2020

Reliable no more? The current state of the Syrian armed forces

By Abdulrahman al-Masri

The current conflict has truly impacted the configuration of the Bashar al-Assad regime as well as the structure and orientation of its military institution, putting the latter’s loyalty in question.

Conflict Middle East

All Content

MENASource

Jan 21, 2022

The Biden administration’s Syria policy sets a path towards disengagement. Here’s why it’s problematic.

By Abdulrahman al-Masri, Reem Salahi

It appears that the Joe Biden administration isn’t only deprioritizing Syria due to a cramped foreign policy agenda, but more clearly pronouncing a lack of strategic interest and an official approach of disengagement.

Middle East Politics & Diplomacy

In the News

Sep 2, 2021

Al-Masri quoted in the Times on recent Syria clashes

By Atlantic Council

Conflict Crisis Management

MENASource

Sep 1, 2021

On the way out like Afghanistan? The Biden administration’s Syria policy labyrinth

By Abdulrahman al-Masri

The United States’ narrow objectives and continuous wait-and-see approach are not sustainable and the likelihood is that America’s rivals in Syria would work towards a US departure.

Middle East Syria
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Abdulrahman al-Masri is a former nonresident fellow with the Rafik Hariri Center and Middle East Programs, focusing on the Syrian conflict and its regional impact. His research areas include conflict dynamics and management, ethnic conflict, civil-military relations, defense and security sector reform in authoritarian contexts, and US foreign and defense policies towards the Middle East.

Based in Ottawa, al-Masri previously worked as a research fellow and project advisor at the SecDev Foundation, where he supported digital safety programming with research on information warfare and the ICT risk environment in Syria. Prior to that, he worked as a research analyst at the SecDev Group, a private consultancy, providing research and analysis on conflict situational environments in the Middle East and North Africa. Between 2013-2014, he was a lead reporter at Syria Direct, an Amman-based media organization, covering the political and military developments of the Syrian conflict.

Al-Masri’s work has appeared in The Arab Weekly, News Deeply, the Cairo Review of Global Affairs, the Carnegie Endowment, Open Canada, and USA Today, among others. Al-Masri holds an MA in Political Studies from Queen’s University and a BA in Political Science and Religion from Carleton University. He also previously studied banking and finance at the University of Damascus.