Recent analysis

Hof on the Fight against Assad and ISIS in Syria

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

Hof on the Fight against Assad and ISIS in Syria

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

Hof on the Fight against Assad and ISIS in Syria

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.


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.

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Featured experts

Fellow


Ibrahim Al-Assil


Lead of the Syria Project

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Arabic
Conflict

Fellow


Michel Duclos


Nonresident Senior Fellow

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Conflict
Crisis Management

Fellow


Arwa Damon


Nonresident Senior Fellow

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Arabic
Civil Society

Fellow


Ömer Özkizilcik


Nonresident Fellow

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Arabic
English

Fellow


Sinan Hatahet


Nonresident Senior Fellow

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Arabic
Economic Sanctions

Fellow


Diana Rayes 


Nonresident Fellow, Syria Project

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Arabic
Civil Society

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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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

In the News

Sep 6, 2015

Hof on the Fight against Assad and ISIS in Syria

By Frederic C. Hof

Business Insider quotes Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East Resident Senior Fellow Frederic C. Hof on the Obama administration’s Syria strategy and what it means for ISIS:

Syria

SyriaSource

Sep 4, 2015

Syria: Don’t Let Perfect Be the Enemy of Good

By Faysal Itani

Foreign Policy published an intriguing article by Aaron David Miller, arguing that the current US Syria policy is the inevitable outcome of President Barack Obama’s foreign policy worldview.

Syria

New Atlanticist

Sep 3, 2015

Europe Grapples with the Migrant Question

By Ashish Kumar Sen

As war and poverty fuel surge in migration, Europe debates immigration, integration, and identity As the world faces its biggest migrant crisis since World War II, governments across Europe are struggling to find a solution to a situation that is as much about integration and identity as it is about immigration. The European Union (EU) […]

Africa European Union

SyriaSource

Sep 3, 2015

Syria Banks Will Wait Out the Conflict

By Rashad al-Kattan

Many observers have dubbed the conflict in Syria (and rightly so) an international one, as regional and global powers compete through direct and proxy actors on Syrian territory. Their different forms of intervention has both shaped and transformed the Syrian revolution, which started with local protests in March 2011 as a rejection to the untenable […]

Economy & Business Syria

Issue Brief

Sep 2, 2015

Seizing local opportunities in Syria

By Bassam Barabandi and Faysal Itani

Despite the many external players involved, the Syrian war is ultimately a local conflict. In “Seizing Local Opportunities in Syria,” authors Faysal Itani of the Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center and Co-Founder of People Demand Change Bassam Barabandi identify three opportunities on the ground for the United States to develop partnerships with segments of the […]

Syria

SyriaSource

Aug 31, 2015

Iran: The Costs of Diplomatic Single-Tracking

By Frederic C. Hof

Head counting in Congress indicates that President Barack Obama is closing in on veto-proof numbers as he seeks to implement the Iranian nuclear agreement. Indeed, he may well acquire the requisite number of Senate supporters (forty-one) to prevent a resolution of disapproval from even getting a vote in the upper house.

Iran Syria

In the News

Aug 28, 2015

Stein on Turkey’s Fight against the PKK

By Aaron Stein

POLITICO quotes Rafik Hariri Center Nonresident Fellow Aaron Stein on how Turkey’s fight against the PKK could affect Turkish-US cooperation against ISIS in Syria: 

Syria Turkey

MENASource

Aug 27, 2015

Turkey’s Counterterrorism Policies: Targeting ISIS and the PKK

By Aaron Stein

Turkey has recently launched a large-scale anti-terror campaign targeting Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) networks and suspected members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK)—a US, EU, and Turkish designated terror group.

Syria Turkey

In the News

Aug 26, 2015

Blanford: In Syria Border Town, Battle Intensifies After Mistrust Sinks Cease-Fire

By Nicholas Blanford

Middle East Peace and Security Initiative Nonresident Senior Fellow Nicholas Blanford writes for Christian Science Monitor on the disintegration of a temporary peace between Hezbollah fighters and anti-Assad rebels in the Syrian border town of Zabadani: 

Syria

In the News

Aug 25, 2015

Stein on Turkey’s Role in the Syrian Conflict

By Aaron Stein

Business Insider quotes Rafik Hariri Center Nonresident Fellow Aaron Stein on Turkey’s image as nurturing the Islamist side of the Syrian insurgency: 

Syria Turkey
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Experts

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Marie Forestier 

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Arabic French

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Ibrahim Al-Assil

Lead of the Syria Project

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Arabic Conflict

Expert

Jon Wilks

Distinguished Fellow

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Arabic Crisis Management

Fellow

Beth Van Schaack

Distinguished Fellow

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Human Rights International Norms

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
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