Featured reading

Stein Quoted by the Cipher Brief on the Syrian Conflict in Raqqa

New Atlanticist
Dec 8, 2024

Experts react: Rebels have toppled the Assad regime. What’s next for Syria, the Middle East, and the world?

By
Atlantic Council experts

Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad has been ousted as opposition forces quickly took the Syrian capital. Atlantic Council experts share their insights on the developments.

Conflict
Corruption

Stein Quoted by the Cipher Brief on the Syrian Conflict in Raqqa

Fast Thinking
Dec 8, 2024

Assad has fallen. Now what?

By
Atlantic Council

The power shift in Syria will reverberate across the Middle East and the world. Our experts explain what’s next.

Conflict
Iran

Stein Quoted by the Cipher Brief on the Syrian Conflict in Raqqa

New Atlanticist
Dec 9, 2024

Dispatch from Doha: Assad’s fall, Iran’s weakness, and the impact of unintended consequences

By
Jonathan Panikoff

In just six months, Iran has slid from a position of strength to perhaps the weakest it has been since 1979.

Conflict
Iran

Stein Quoted by the Cipher Brief on the Syrian Conflict in Raqqa

MENASource
Dec 10, 2024

Where Syria goes next after the fall of Assad

By
Frederic C. Hof

With the Assad family agone, Syria, at long last, has a chance to achieve the kind of political transition envisioned by the 2012 Geneva Final Communique and UNSCR 2254.

Conflict
Middle East

Stein Quoted by the Cipher Brief on the Syrian Conflict in Raqqa

New Atlanticist
Dec 10, 2024

A blueprint for bringing about a new Syria

By
Kirsten Fontenrose

For a reconstruction strategy in Syria to be effective, all parties must adopt a unified approach that is clear-eyed about the country’s new leaders.

Crisis Management
International Organizations

Explore our Syria work

Syria Project

Our work on Syria sheds light on the ongoing struggle of Syrians to fulfill their desire for democratic self-governance as the United States and the international community grapple with the aftermath of a devastating civil war, millions of refugees across the Middle East and Europe, and ongoing security and political challenges spilling over Syria’s borders.


Group of world leaders sitting around table set up.

Syria Strategy Project

The Atlantic Council, Middle East Institute, and European Institute of Peace collaborate with subject matter experts and policymakers in the US, Europe, and the Middle East to develop a holistic strategy to sustainably forge a pathway to resolving Syria’s crisis.

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Featured experts

Leadership

Fellow


Qutaiba Idlbi


Resident Senior Fellow, Syria

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Economic Sanctions
Entrepreneurship

Fellows

Fellow


Michel Duclos


Nonresident Senior Fellow

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Conflict
Crisis Management

Fellow


Arwa Damon


Nonresident Senior Fellow

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Arabic
Civil Society

Fellow


Ömer Özkizilcik


Nonresident Fellow

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Arabic
English

Fellow


Sinan Hatahet


Nonresident Senior Fellow

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Arabic
Economic Sanctions

Former fellow


Hind Kabawat


Former Nonresident Senior Fellow, Syria Project

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Arabic
Civil Society

Fellow


Diana Rayes 


Nonresident Fellow, Syria Project

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Arabic
Civil Society

Past events

Public Event
Mon, March 18, 2024 • 1:00 pm ET

The Syria Strategy Project: A public launch

Civil Society
Conflict
Freedom and Prosperity
Human Rights

Online Event
Mon, February 12, 2024 • 12:00 pm ET

One year on: Assessing the February 6th earthquake response in Syria

Civil Society
Economy & Business
Human Rights
International Organizations

Online Event
Fri, May 31, 2024 • 9:30 am ET

Serving communities with disability in conflict contexts

Civil Society
Conflict
Crisis Management
Human Rights

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Middle East Programs

Working with our allies and partners in Europe and the wider Middle East to protect US interests, build peace and security, and unlock the human potential of the region.

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Content

In the News

Mar 17, 2017

Stein Quoted by the Cipher Brief on the Syrian Conflict in Raqqa

By Aaron Stein

Read the full article here.

Syria

SyriaSource

Mar 16, 2017

The Unavoidable Reality of the Geneva Process

By Daniel DePetris

Staffan de Mistura, the UN special envoy for Syria, was blunt in his remarks on February 23, 2016 during the first day of renewed Syrian peace talks in ten months. Sitting between the Syrian government delegation and the group of opposition politicians under the High Negotiations Committee, de Mistura implored the parties to start exhibiting […]

Syria

SyriaSource

Mar 16, 2017

Syrians Anxiously Follow the Case of the Pilot Held “Captive” in Turkey

By Saleem al-Omar

The events surrounding Mohammed Soufan, a Syrian regime military pilot who was hospitalized in Turkey, shed light on the changing position of Turkey on the Syrian war. Soufan was released from a hospital in the city of Antakya following a week of treatment. The Turkish government transferred him to an undisclosed location, out of fear […]

Syria

SyriaSource

Mar 16, 2017

Analysis: ‘Safe Zone’ on Lebanon Border Would Benefit Hezbollah, Iran

By Abdulrahman al-Masri

OTTAWA, CANADA – On February 3, Lebanese president Michel Aoun called on the international community to establish a safe zone on the Syria-Lebanon border. A political ally of Hezbollah, Aoun said world powers must work with President Bashar al-Assad’s regime to set up the proposed zone and facilitate the return of more than 1 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon.

Syria

In the News

Mar 15, 2017

Stein Quoted by The New Arab on Turkish Military Intervention in Syria

By Aaron Stein

Read the full article here.

Syria Turkey

SyriaSource

Mar 15, 2017

The Effects of Suspending American Aid to Moderate Syrian Opposition Groups

By Hosam al-Jablawi

Multiple sources within moderate Syrian opposition groups have confirmed that the CIA has stopped supervising the distribution of logistical and military assistance to groups within the Free Army in northern Syria. According to these sources, fighters in these Syrian opposition groups who oppose Assad’s rule, and who receive salaries from the operations room known as […]

Syria

SyriaSource

Mar 15, 2017

Discussion with Amb. Frederic Hof on the Anniversary of the Syrian War

By Frederic C. Hof and Faysal Itani

March 15 marks the anniversary of Syria’s war—a war that has changed the world. In light of this, Rafik Hariri Center senior fellow Faysal Itani conducts an interview with former Ambassador Frederic C. Hof on how the war has impacted the region and broader international community, with a specific look at how the United States’ […]

Syria

SyriaSource

Mar 13, 2017

The US Must Hold the Regime Accountable in Reconstructing Syria

By Rashad al-Kattan

Nearly six years of conflict have dramatically altered Syria’s economy. To better understand these changes, SyriaSource interviewed Rashad al-Kattan, a researcher on Syria, about the state of Syria’s economy. His responses give insight into how, even as the Syrian regime is winning on the military front, the long-term economic challenges paint a more complex picture […]

Syria

In the News

Mar 13, 2017

Hof in Defense News: Supporting the Diplomatic End Game in Syria

By Frederic C. Hof

Read the full article here.

Syria

In the News

Mar 12, 2017

Khoury Joins Al Hadath TV to Discuss the United States Sending Troops to Manbij

By Nabeel Khoury

Watch the full interview here.

Syria
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Experts

Fellow

Amany Qaddour 

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Arabic Civil Society

Fellow

Diana Rayes 

Nonresident Fellow, Syria Project

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Arabic Civil Society

Fellow

Lukas Andriukaitis

Nonresident Fellow

Digital Forensic Research Lab

Disinformation Eastern Europe

Staff

Elise Baker

Senior Staff Lawyer, Strategic Litigation Project

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Civil Society Extremism

Fellow

Nicholas Blanford

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Arabic Conflict

Fellow

Alia Brahimi

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Arabic Civil Society
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