Recent analysis

Al Hayat Quotes Hof on the Implications of Regime Air Strikes in Aleppo

New Atlanticist
Dec 17, 2024

Dispatch from Damascus: Celebrations and concerns as a new Syria takes shape

By
Ömer Özkizilcik

Syrians in Damascus are celebrating the fall of the Assad regime, but that joy is mixed with concern for how the country’s new leaders will govern.

Conflict
Crisis Management

Al Hayat Quotes Hof on the Implications of Regime Air Strikes in Aleppo

MENASource
Jun 20, 2025

On World Refugee Day, complexities persist for Syrian returnees

By
Sinan Hatahet

While Syria’s political shift brings new hope, it also highlights the complex realities that still define the Syrian landscape.

Middle East
Migration

Al Hayat Quotes Hof on the Implications of Regime Air Strikes in Aleppo

MENASource
Jun 10, 2025

Why DDR programs are the missing link to Syrian stability

By
Muhsen al-Mustafa

With the end of Western sanctions, Syria faces a rare opportunity to address the imbalances of the post-conflict period.

Middle East
Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding

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.


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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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Qutaiba Idlbi


Former Resident Senior Fellow, Syria

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Economic Sanctions
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Michel Duclos


Nonresident Senior Fellow

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Conflict
Crisis Management

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Arwa Damon


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Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

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Nonresident Fellow

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

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Sinan Hatahet


Nonresident Senior Fellow

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Arabic
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Hind Kabawat


Former Nonresident Senior Fellow, Syria Project

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

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Diana Rayes 


Nonresident Fellow, Syria Project

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

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Past events

Online Event
Thu, December 19, 2024 • 12:30 pm ET

Putin loses in Syria. Is Russia in retreat?

Conflict
Europe & Eurasia
Middle East
Russia

Online Event
Tue, May 21, 2024 • 10:30 am ET

Exploring investment opportunities in northwest Syria

Conflict
Economic Sanctions
Economy & Business
Financial Regulation


Event Recap

Mar 29, 2024

Launching the Syria Strategy Project

By
JP Reppeto and Charles Johnson

On March 18, 2024, the Atlantic Council’s Syria Project, the Middle East Institute’s Syria Program, the European Institute of Peace, and Madaniya Civil Society Network launched the Syria Strategy, an intensive process of engagement with subject matter experts and policymakers in the United States, Europe, and the Middle East to develop a holistic strategy to […]

Civil Society
Conflict

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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.

EXPLORE THE ATLANTIC COUNCIL’S MIDDLE EAST PROGRAMS

Content

In the News

May 2, 2016

Al Hayat Quotes Hof on the Implications of Regime Air Strikes in Aleppo

By Frederic C. Hof

Read the full article here.

Syria

SyriaSource

Apr 29, 2016

Syrian Political Transition: Are the Rules Being Bent?

By Frederic C. Hof

UN Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura recently released a “Mediator’s Summary of the 13-17 April Round of UN Facilitated Intra-Syrian Talks.” It is a thoughtful and thought-provoking document. It appropriately asks far more questions than it answers about political transition in Syria. Even as a regime-Russian military offensive focusing on Aleppo—one targeting civilians and medical […]

Syria

SyriaSource

Apr 29, 2016

As the Truce Wanes, Assad Goes to War Again

By Saleem al-Omar

Ambulances are again wailing across Syria, most recently to care for the bombing victims of a hospital in Aleppo and the al-Zof camps in the Idlib countryside. The Civil Defense moved quickly to transport the injured, while regime helicopters dropped barrel bombs containing poisonous chlorine gas on Jisr al-Shughur city in the Kalasah, Bustan al-Qasr, […]

Syria

SyriaSource

Apr 28, 2016

Journalists Deaths Decline at the Cost of Censorship

By Hasan Arfeh

The number of journalists killed in Syria declined in 2015, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists’ (CPJ) annual report. The report stated  14 journalists were killed last year adding that this also reflects a decrease in the number of journalists working in Syria. The report points out that this decline is the result of […]

Syria

New Atlanticist

Apr 28, 2016

Donald Trump: A ‘Dangerous’ Man

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Former US diplomat, R. Nicholas Burns, discusses GOP frontrunner’s foreign policy speech R. Nicholas Burns, an Atlantic Council board director who served as the State Department’s number three official in the George W. Bush administration, offered a searing critique of Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump’s April 27 foreign policy speech in an interview with the […]

China European Union

SyriaSource

Apr 27, 2016

What We Lose as the Ceasefire Collapses

By Kenan Rahmani

This post is an interview with Kenan Rahmani, a Syrian American political and human rights activist and a member of the Syrian Network for Human Rights. He has traveled regularly to Syria throughout the conflict, his most recent trip being this past March. His observations give us insight into the benefits of the cessation of […]

Syria

SyriaSource

Apr 27, 2016

Growing Tensions in Northern Syria Threaten Regional Stability

By Mona Alami

The recent battles in the northern Aleppo between Syrian Arab rebels and the Islamic State (ISIS) around al-Rai underline the of importance the region and the difficulty of resolving the Arab-Kurdish rivalry. The growth of this sub-conflict could threaten any chances for long term stability in northern Syria.

Syria

In the News

Apr 27, 2016

Hof Quoted by the Christian Science Monitor on a ‘Plan B’ for Syria

By Frederic C. Hof

Read the full article here.

Syria

MENASource

Apr 26, 2016

ISIS and Turkey: The Rocket Threat to Kilis

By Aaron Stein

The Turkish town of Kilis, located just three miles from the Syrian border, has come under rocket fire from Islamic State (ISIS) controlled territory in Syria. The intensity of the rocket attacks increased since April putting upward pressure on the Turkish government to address the threat. According to an on-going Atlantic Council study, the rockets […]

Syria Turkey

In the News

Apr 26, 2016

Daniels Joins Rudaw to Discuss the Effect of US Troops on Syrian Kurds

By Owen Daniels

Watch the full story here.

Syria
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Experts

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Marie Forestier 

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Arabic French

Fellow

Ibrahim Al-Assil

Resident Senior Fellow, Syria Project

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Arabic Conflict

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
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