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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.


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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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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.

Content

In the News

Jun 6, 2016

Itani Joins VOA Turkish Service to Discuss Turkish-US Cooperation in Syria

By Faysal Itani

Watch the full video here.

Syria Turkey

SyriaSource

Jun 6, 2016

Shooting Blanks

By Frederic C. Hof

The June 1, 2016 deadline for Syria’s Assad regime to lift impediments to United Nations emergency food and medical deliveries to desperate Syrians has come and gone. The promise of air-delivered aid to circumvent regime ground sieges has not materialized. Russian bombing attacks on Syrian residential neighborhoods in support of an Assad regime effort to […]

Syria

SyriaSource

Jun 6, 2016

Freedom Award Presented to Syria Civil Defense

By Frederic C. Hof

Frederic Hof delivered the following speech when presenting the Freedom Award to Mr. Raed al-Saleh and Mr. Farouq al-Habib, who accepted the award on behalf of Syria’s White Helmets.

Syria

New Atlanticist

Jun 3, 2016

Atlantic Council Honors Champions of Freedom

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Recipients of the Atlantic Council’s Freedom Awards on June 3 delivered impassioned pleas to safeguard the freedoms they have dedicated their lives to protect. “By criminalizing forms of expression, unintentionally or otherwise, we risk pushing people into the welcoming arms of extremists,” said Nighat Dad, a Pakistani Internet activist and founder of Digital Rights Foundation. “Covering our […]

Syria

In the News

Jun 2, 2016

Farkas Joins CNN to Discuss Syria Talks

By Evelyn Farkas

Read the full article here.

Syria

In the News

Jun 2, 2016

Itani, Stein Join VOA Turkish Service to Discuss Turkish-US Cooperation in Syria

By Aaron Stein & Faysal Itani

Watch the full video here.

Syria Turkey

SyriaSource

Jun 2, 2016

Between the Jurisprudence of Blood and the Management of Savagery: Islamic State Advances Terror Methods

By Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently

Ever since the Hollywood-style execution of US journalist James Foley, the Islamic State (ISIS) continues to surprise those that analyze the group with its criminal propaganda throughout the world. On close scrutiny, the Hollywood-style executions by the Islamic State are not just a way to humiliate and celebrate the pain of its enemies, but are […]

Syria

SyriaSource

Jun 1, 2016

Holding Territory Taken From ISIS in the Manbij Pocket

By Aaron Stein

The United States and its closest partner in the Syrian conflict, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), have begun an offensive to take the northern city of Manbij from the Islamic State (ISIS). On May 31 and June 1, the coalition conducted 27 strikes in the area, according to the Coalition’s daily strike update press release. […]

Syria

SyriaSource

Jun 1, 2016

In the Wake of the Jabla and Tartous Bombings

By Saleem al-Omar

The explosions on Monday, May 23 killed up to 150 people in the cities of Jabla and Tartous, in an attack that surprised both the regime and opposition. For the last three years, the opposition has launched missile strikes against these coastal cities without causing the same level of damage, at most killing a few […]

Syria

SyriaSource

May 31, 2016

#5YearsWeFled: Syrian Hospitality

By Ayman Jalwan

We were warned about Hungary: my friends had warned me that it was very dangerous there, and that the authorities in Hungary are really bad to refugees. I had heard this from my friends who traveled through before us: they were arrested in Hungary and put in jail for one month. The authorities beat them, […]

Syria

Experts