Syria

Economic Sanctions
Entrepreneurship

Fellow

Michel Duclos

Conflict
Crisis Management

Fellow

Arwa Damon

Arabic
Civil Society

Fellow

Ömer Özkizilcik

Nonresident Fellow

Arabic
English

Fellow

Sinan Hatahet

Arabic
Economic Sanctions

Former fellow

Hind Kabawat

Former Nonresident Senior Fellow, Syria Project

Nonresident Fellow, Syria Project

Arabic
Civil Society

Fellow

Diana Rayes

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

Arabic
Civil Society

Past events

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

Learn more about the Middle East programs

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

New Atlanticist

Mar 23, 2016

ISIS Strikes Brussels: Is This The ‘New Normal’?

By Ashish Kumar Sen

The terrorist attacks in Brussels represent a collective failure of Western intelligence, underscore the challenges radicalized young Muslims pose to Europe and the United States, but most of all are emblematic of what the Atlantic Council’s Barry Pavel describes as a “new normal.” The Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) claimed responsibility for the […]

Cybersecurity European Union

SyriaSource

Isolation of the Kurds in Syria

By Jiwan Soz

As a result of the political and military changes in Syria after March 2011, Kurds now control three major territories in Syria: Kobani, Afrin, and Hasaka. However, they face political difficulties due to the many schisms among the Kurdish parties, Turkey’s fear that Syrian Kurds will unite their cantons in northern Syria, and deteriorating relations […]

Syria

New Atlanticist

Paris Suspect’s Arrest Likely Hastened Attack in Brussels, says former CIA Director Michael Hayden

By David Ensor and Ashish Kumar Sen

Salah Abdeslam’s arrest last week in connection with the Paris attacks likely sped up terrorists’ plans to strike Brussels, according to Michael Hayden, former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency and an Atlantic Council board member. With Abdeslam’s arrest following a four-month manhunt, the terrorists likely felt that they were “in a position of either […]

European Union International Organizations

New Atlanticist

Brussels Bombings Reflect ISIS’ Growing ‘Attack Capability’

By Ashish Kumar Sen

‘When you are dealing with terrorists, absolutely the best defense is a strong offense,’ says Michael Morell, a former Deputy Director of the CIA The bombings in Brussels on March 22 are a reflection of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham’s growing “attack capability” in Europe, according to Michael Morell, a former Deputy Director […]

European Union International Organizations

SyriaSource

Top News: March 22, 2016

By SyriaSource

– ISIS massacres Kurds in Aleppo town– Syrian Kurds defend federal plan, deny autonomy aim – Regime says Assad’s fate still ‘excluded’ from Syria peace talks– UNHCR will not work in Greek ‘detention centers,’ at EU-Turkey deal

Syria

SyriaSource

Bombings in Brussels

By Frederic C. Hof

Mass murder in the Brussels airport and metro was almost certainly either Islamic State-planned-and-executed or inspired. Coming as they did very soon after the arrest of a Brussels-based perpetrator of the November 13, 2015 ISIS massacres in Paris—an operation planned in Raqqa, the Islamic State (ISIS, ISIL, Daesh) “capital” in Syria—these Brussels outrages may have […]

Syria

SyriaSource

#5YearsWeFled: Cutting Ties to the Past

By Ayman Jalwan

This is the second part of a series of interviews with the lawyer Ayman Jalwan. It highlights the difficult choice that Syrians face—dying in the war zone that Syria had become, or fleeing the land they love. Last year, Ayman Jalwan and his wife said goodbye to their families and joined the wave of citizens […]

Syria

MENASource

Mar 21, 2016

The Problem with the Obama Doctrine

By H.A. Hellyer

The ‘Obama Doctrine’ is finally taking shape—with The Atlantic magazine revealing its most salient points through a series of conversations with the US president—but the insights are not all flattering, not least when it comes to the Arab world.

Iraq Libya

SyriaSource

Mar 21, 2016

Top News: March 21, 2016

By SyriaSource

– Pro-regime fighters killed battling ISIS near Palmyra – Syria peace talks grind toward pivotal Assad question – Death toll climbs from air strikes on ISIS-held Raqqa – Russia says might use force against ceasefire violators in Syria – Suicide bomber kills four, wounds 36 in Istanbul shopping district – EU-Turkey deal to return refugees from Greece comes into force

Syria

In the News

Mar 19, 2016

Hof Quoted by Hurriyet Daily News on Putin’s Strategy in Syria

By Frederic C. Hof

Read the full article here.

Syria

Experts

Fellow

Marie Forestier

Resident Senior Fellow, Syria Project

Arabic French

Fellow

Ibrahim Al-Assil

Arabic Conflict

Fellow

Amany Qaddour

Nonresident Fellow, Syria Project

Arabic Civil Society

Fellow

Diana Rayes

Digital Forensic Research Lab

Arabic Civil Society

Fellow

Lukas Andriukaitis

Nonresident Fellow

Disinformation Eastern Europe

Staff

Elise Baker

Senior Staff Lawyer, Strategic Litigation Project