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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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Content

Issue Brief

Apr 27, 2015

Defeating the jihadists in Syria: Competition before confrontation

By Faysal Itani

Since August 2014, the US-led air campaign against the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) has successfully inflicted casualties on ISIS and weakened its oil revenues. However, the same efforts have also accelerated the rise of the Nusra Front, an al-Qaeda affiliate, and the near-collapse of nationalist rebel forces. In “Defeating the Jihadists in […]

Syria Terrorism

MENASource

Apr 22, 2015

US Senators Call for Safe Zones in Syria

By Andrea Taylor

After four years of conflict in Syria – with a humanitarian atrocity that emerged from peaceful protests on the streets of Damascus and Aleppo – the horror of the statistics may have surpassed fully comprehendible proportions; many Americans seem to have turned a blind eye to this atrocity, unable to see a way past the […]

Syria

SyriaSource

Apr 22, 2015

Syria: Q&A on the Syrian National Stabilization Force

By Frederic C. Hof

In the wake of releasing the report Setting the Stage for Peace in Syria: The Case for a Syrian National Stabilization Force, several pertinent (and tough) questions have been posed to one of the authors by Congressional staffers and others. This may well be the first of several postings aimed at sharing these questions and […]

Syria

In the News

Apr 22, 2015

Slavin: Syria Agrees to Return Highly Enriched Uranium to China

By Barbara Slavin

South Asia Center Nonresident Senior Fellow Barbara Slavin writes for Al Monitor on Syria and China’s uranium agreement:

China Syria

Event Recap

Apr 22, 2015

The Syrian Humanitarian Crisis: A Conversation with Turkish AFAD President

By Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East

On Monday, April 20, 2015, the Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East and the Turkish Heritage Organization hosted the President of the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Agency (AFAD), Dr. Fuat Oktay, for a discussion on the Syrian humanitarian crisis. Atlantic Council Vice President and Hariri Center Director Francis Ricciardone provided introductory […]

Syria Turkey

SyriaSource

Apr 20, 2015

Syria: Getting to Legitimacy through an ISIL-First Strategy

By Frederic C. Hof

Last week the Rafik Hariri Center of the Atlantic Council launched a report Setting the Stage for Peace in Syria, recommending that the anti-Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) “train-and-equip” program for Syrian nationalists be put on steroids:

Syria

MENASource

Apr 18, 2015

Syria: Making Good on the President’s Words

By Frederic C. Hof

President Barack Obama is on the record saying that the protection of Syrian civilians from barrel bombs—the most spectacularly visible manifestation of Assad regime mass murder—is now a core US interest. Making good on the president’s words is vital for the credibility of a nation whose network of alliances spans the globe.

Syria

In the News

Apr 18, 2015

Washington Post Editorial Cites Atlantic Council Report on Syria

By Frederic Hof

The Washington Post Editorial Board cites an Atlantic Council report, Setting the Stage for Peace in Syria, coauthored by Rafik Hariri Center Senior Fellow Frederic C. Hof:

Syria

Event Recap

Apr 17, 2015

Setting the Stage for Peace in Syria: The Case for a Syrian National Stabilization Force

By Rafik Hariri Center

On Tuesday, April 14, 2015, the Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East released its latest report, Setting the Stage for Peace in Syria: The Case for a Syrian National Stabilization Force, by Hariri Center Senior Fellow Frederic C. Hof, Dr. Bassma Kodmani, Cofounder and Executive Director of the Arab Reform Initiative, and […]

Syria

In the News

Apr 16, 2015

Hof on Setting the Stage for Peace in Syria

By Frederic Hof

Rafik Hariri Center Senior Fellow Frederic C. Hof joins Voice of America’s International Edition to discuss his new report Setting the Stage for Peace in Syria: The Case for a Syrian National Stabilization Force:

Syria

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