Ibrahim Al-Assil is a resident senior fellow for the Syria Project in the Atlantic Council’s Middle East programs. Al-Assil is also currently a professorial lecturer at George Washington University’s Department of Political Science, where he teaches courses on comparative politics and great-power competition. His work bridges academic research, policy, and practice, informed by his engagement in conflict resolution, regional Track II dialogues, and grassroots movements across the Middle East.

He has held fellowships at Harvard University’s Center for Public Leadership, the Middle East Institute, and the Orient Research Centre. He was a founding member and former president of the Syrian Nonviolence Movement and has served on the boards of the Harvard Arab Alumni Association and various political risk advisory and consulting groups.

Al-Assil has advised US, European, and regional policymakers; testified at the United Nations; and contributed to policy and academic conversations across the world. He has been published and quoted in international outlets including theNew York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Foreign Affairs, and the Atlantic. He regularly appears on BBC, CNN, and Al Arabiya, and he previously created and hosted Podcast AlAwsat.He holds a Doctor of International Affairs from Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies, a Master in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School, an MBA from the University of Essex, and a BBA from the University of Kalamoon in Syria.