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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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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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In the News

Oct 23, 2015

Itani on Russia and Iran’s Backing of Assad

By Faysal Itani

Rafik Hariri Center Resident Fellow Faysal Itani joins Voice of America’s Encounter to discuss the implications of increased Iranian and Russian backing of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad:

Syria

SyriaSource

Oct 23, 2015

FSA Forces Defy the Russians as Aircrafts Shell Civilians in Northern Syria

By Saleem al-Omar

Aircrafts hover over the Syrian opposition-controlled territories in northern Syria, easily visible to the naked eye. Witnesses to the missile strikes shout “God is great,” expressing their feelings of shock, fear, and anxiety.

Syria

SyriaSource

Oct 22, 2015

Without Committed Air Support, Kurdish Forces cannot go on the Offensive against ISIS

By Mecid Mohamed

Despite repeated attempts to take the towns of al-Shaddadi and al-Hool, located fifty kilometers south and forty kilometers east of Hasaka, respectively, the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) have been unable to advance towards either of these strategically important locations. Notwithstanding sustained air support from the international coalition to combat missions in and around Hasaka, […]

Syria

SyriaSource

Oct 22, 2015

Top News: Syrian Kurdish leaders hold talks in Moscow

By Syria Source

Leaders from Syria’s Kurdish community on Wednesday held talks in Moscow with Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov over the conflict in Syria. Bogdanov hosted the co-chair of the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) Asya Abdullah and the head of the administration in the town of Kobani Anwar Muslim, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said in a […]

Syria

MENASource

Oct 22, 2015

MENASource Podcast: Russia’s Intervention in Syria

By Aaron Stein and Faysal Itani

For the past three and a half weeks, the Russian Air Force and a handful of military advisers have been striking rebel held positions in Syria. The bulk of the airstrikes are concentrated along the M5 highway near the cities of Homs and Hama.

Russia Syria

SyriaSource

Oct 21, 2015

Assad the Prop

By Frederic C. Hof

Russian President Vladimir Putin is orchestrating the performance of his life, using Syria as the stage on which he proclaims Moscow’s reemergence as the third Rome and drives a spike into what he describes as Washington’s democratization and regime change jihad.  Having declared war on the Islamic State (ISIL, ISIS, or Daesh) in Syria, he […]

Syria

Emerging Defense Challenges

Oct 21, 2015

‘We Need a Freakin’ Budget’

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Congressman Adam Smith says cap-free defense budget needed to address global challenges The Pentagon needs a long-term budget that is free of caps if it is to address important global threats, including from Islamist militants, Russia, and China, a senior Democratic lawmaker said on Oct. 21. “We need a freakin’ budget,” Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), […]

Iran Russia

SyriaSource

Oct 21, 2015

Top News: Assad meets with Putin in Moscow

By Syria Source

President Bashar al-Assad has traveled to Moscow in his first known trip abroad since war broke out in Syria in 2011, meeting his strongest ally Russian leader Vladimir Putin. The two leaders stressed that military operations in Syria, in which Moscow is the latest and most powerful addition, must lead to a political process. Turkish […]

Syria
Russian warship celebrating Navy Day, July 26, 2015

NATOSource

Oct 21, 2015

Russia’s Syria Strategy Poses Challenge to NATO in Mediterranean

By Sam Jones, Financial Times

Russia’s military intervention in Syria is serving as a broader announcement of Moscow’s renewed determination to hold sway in the Middle East.

NATO Russia

SyriaSource

Oct 21, 2015

Europe, not the United States, Pays the Price of Failure in Syria

By Bassma Kodmani

Russian President Putin has decided that Syria is part of Russia’s near abroad, no less than Ukraine it seems, a territory where some vital national interests are at stake. He has predicted the fecklessness of Western powers well. Whether he is deploying his arsenal in Syria to fight Daesh or to bolster Assad, by moving […]

Syria

Experts