Syria

Middle East

Syria stands at a pivotal juncture as it charts a path following the fall of the Assad regime. Syria’s new government faces the task of rebuilding a shattered economy and establishing state institutions capable of managing a diverse and war-affected population. A durable US-Syria partnership depends on sustained cooperation across reconstruction, governance, and Syria’s reintegration.

Featured commentary & analysis

Hof Joins NPR to Discuss the Civilian Cost of the Syrian Conflict

MENASource
Jul 1, 2026

The US is sending Syrian asylees back. Syria isn’t ready.

By
Diana Rayes

The US Supreme Court’s recent decision to uphold the Trump administration’s decision to terminate Temporary Protected Status programs crates a troubling global precedent.

Migration
Syria

MENASource
May 4, 2026

Syria needs a trustworthy digital ecosystem to support its revival

By
Nadia Farra

Robust digital infrastructure, digital literacy, and cybersecurity are no longer luxuries for high-income nations but fundamental requirements for national stability and economic resilience.

Freedom and Prosperity
Inclusive Growth

MENASource
Feb 20, 2026

Syria is not Libya, but it could become one if the world looks away

By
Kurt Davis Jr.

There are lessons from Libya’s fragmentation and collapse that can be applied now as Syria sits at a similar inflection point.

Conflict
Libya

Programs

Syria Project

The Syria Project advances policy engagement and international partnerships during a pivotal political transition. It serves as a leading platform for independent analysis and high-level dialogue on US-Syria relations, economic recovery, governance, and regional reintegration, leveraging deep networks across Washington, Damascus, and the broader Middle East.

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Learn more about the Middle East programs

Middle East Programs

By Barbara Slavin

Read the full article here.

Syria

SyriaSource

Sep 1, 2016

Where Does It End?

By Frederic C. Hof

At least one senior US government official strongly disagrees with the view expressed by this writer that it is the Iran factor—the desire to achieve and protect the nuclear deal—that has stayed the hand of President Obama from using limited military means to protect Syrian civilians from Assad regime atrocities: mass homicide that has had […]

Syria

SyriaSource

Sep 1, 2016

The Art of Burial During War

By Hikmat al-Habbal

In Syria, another tragedy begins after death. People who went out on the streets to change the status quo are surprised at how burial methods have changed and Syrians’ rituals around death are disappearing.

Syria

SyriaSource

Sep 1, 2016

Sanctions as a Viable Action in a Complicated Environment

By Susan Waltz & Hossam Abouzahr

When the US Congress returns from its summer recess, the House of Representatives is slated to consider the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2016. The legislation—intended to expand the existing Syrian sanctions regime—is named after “Caesar,” the pseudonym of a military defector who smuggled some 53,000 photographs out of Syria in 2013 documenting the […]

Syria

Experts

Fellow

Diana Rayes

Nonresident Senior Fellow, Syria Project

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Arabic Civil Society

Fellow

Anthony J. Ruggiero

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Forward Defense Indo-Pacific Security Initiative

Arms Control Defense Policy

Active affiliation

Reem Salahi

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Arabic Democratic Transitions

Fellow

Joumana Seif

Former Nonresident Senior Fellow

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Arabic English

Fellow

Gareth Stansfield

Nonresident Senior Fellow, Transatlantic Project

Iraq Initiative Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East

Afghanistan Iraq

Fellow

Samantha Sultoon

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Economic Statecraft Initiative GeoEconomics Center

Cuba East Asia

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Issue briefs and reports

Fast Thinking

Dispatches

Inflection Points

UkraineAlert

MENASource

Econographics

Syria

Featured commentary & analysis

The US is sending Syrian asylees back. Syria isn’t ready.

Syria needs a trustworthy digital ecosystem to support its revival

Syria is not Libya, but it could become one if the world looks away

Programs

Syria Project

Learn more about the Middle East programs

Content

Hof Joins NPR to Discuss the Civilian Cost of the Syrian Conflict

Cohen Joins VOA Russia to Discuss the Crisis in Syria

Hellyer Quoted by The Telegraph on the British Peers and Priests that Met with Assad

al-Kattan in War on the Rocks: Decisive Military Defections in Syria: A Case of Wishful Thinking

Hof Quoted by the New York Times on the Lack of Discussion of Syria in the Presidential Election

Hof Quoted by CNN on the Impact of the War on Syria’s Children

Slavin Quoted by Rare on the Situation in Syria

Where Does It End?

The Art of Burial During War

Sanctions as a Viable Action in a Complicated Environment

Experts

Diana Rayes

Anthony J. Ruggiero

Reem Salahi

Joumana Seif

Gareth Stansfield

Samantha Sultoon

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