Featured reading

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.


Group of world leaders sitting around table set up.

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.

Featured experts

Leadership

Fellows

Past events

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.

Sign up for all the latest updates!

Sign up for the MENASource newsletter, highlighting pieces that follow democratic transitions and economic changes throughout the region.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.


Content

MENASource

Oct 20, 2015

Russia’s Attacks in Syria May Only Create More Jihadists

By Mona Alami

Russian President Vladimir Putin has labeled his entry into the Syrian conflict, following a rapid military buildup in the Latakia region, as a war on terror. Yet Russia’s very first airstrikes in Syria targeted areas where the Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) had no known presence—regions occupied by the mainstream opposition, which the United States […]

Russia Syria

SyriaSource

Oct 20, 2015

Top News: UN says tens of thousands flee Syria regime offensive in Aleppo

By Syria Source

The Syrian government’s military offensive on the outskirts of the northern city of Aleppo has displaced thousands in recent days, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) says. A spokeswoman for UNOCHA said that the fighting had displaced 35,000 people from Hader and Zerbeh on the outskirts of the city in the past […]

Syria

SyriaSource

Oct 20, 2015

A Political Solution in Syria Needs to Break the Unholy Alliance

By Rashad al-Kattan

The intractable Syrian conflict has created the temptation to flirt with keeping in power Bashar al-Assad, the heir to the now 45-year-old al-Assad dynasty, through a political deal. But this will prove nothing more than a futile exercise of wishful thinking. The much-touted mantra of reaching a ‘political solution’ that keeps Assad in power belies […]

Syria

In the News

Oct 20, 2015

Itani on Iranian Troops in Syria

By Faysal Itani

Rafik Hariri Center Resident Fellow Faysal Itani joins CNN’s Situation Room to discuss Iran’s increasing engagement in the conflict in Syria and reports that Iranian troops are prepping for a major offensive near Aleppo:

Iran Syria

In the News

Oct 19, 2015

Hof on His Role as Special Adviser for Transition in Syria

By Frederic Hof

The Washington Post quotes Rafik Hariri Center Resident Senior Fellow Frederic C. Hof from his recent article in POLITICO on his role as the Special Adviser for Transition in Syria:

Syria

In the News

Oct 19, 2015

Ricciardone on Turkey’s Elections and Syria

By Francis Ricciardone

Hurriyet quotes Vice President and Rafik Hariri Center Director Francis Ricciardone on the upcoming elections in Turkey and the need for coordination on Syria: Read the full article here.

Syria Turkey

SyriaSource

Oct 19, 2015

Top News: Air strikes on ISIS convoy in Syria kill forty

By Syria Source

Air strikes targeting a motorcade belonging to the Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) killed at least forty jihadists in central Syria over the weekend. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said unidentified warplanes hit the sixteen-vehicle convoy Saturday night, traveling from the jihadist group’s self-declared capital of Raqqa in northern Syria into the countryside […]

Syria

In the News

Oct 19, 2015

Ullman: Syria 2015: Spain 1938 or Sarajevo June 1914?

By Harlan Ullman

Atlantic Council Senior Adviser Harlan Ullman writes for United Press International on the political and geostrategic impact of Russia’s military intervention in Syria:

Russia Syria

In the News

Oct 17, 2015

Cohen on Turkey and Russia

By Ariel Cohen

International Business Times quotes Dinu Patriciu Eurasia Center and Global Energy Center Nonresident Senior Fellow Ariel Cohen on the impact of Russian intervention in Syria on its energy deals with Turkey: 

Russia Syria

SyriaSource

Oct 16, 2015

Civil Society and the Future of Syria

By Frederic C. Hof

No one can look at the horrors consuming Syria today without being tempted to think that the country is finished. Some who yield to this temptation try to shoehorn their feelings into a specific historical context, often portraying Sykes-Picot as an original sin requiring expiation in the form of new national boundaries. Others tend to […]

Syria

Experts