Syria

Syria

Syria stands at a pivotal juncture as it charts a path following the fall of the Assad regime. Syria’s new government faces the task of rebuilding a shattered economy and establishing state institutions capable of managing a diverse and war-affected population. A durable US-Syria partnership depends on sustained cooperation across reconstruction, governance, and Syria’s reintegration.

Featured commentary & analysis

The State of the Islamic State

MENASource
Jul 1, 2026

The US is sending Syrian asylees back. Syria isn’t ready.

By
Diana Rayes 

The US Supreme Court’s recent decision to uphold the Trump administration’s decision to terminate Temporary Protected Status programs crates a troubling global precedent.

Migration
Syria

The State of the Islamic State

MENASource
May 4, 2026

Syria needs a trustworthy digital ecosystem to support its revival

By
Nadia Farra

Robust digital infrastructure, digital literacy, and cybersecurity are no longer luxuries for high-income nations but fundamental requirements for national stability and economic resilience.

Freedom and Prosperity
Inclusive Growth

The State of the Islamic State

MENASource
Feb 20, 2026

Syria is not Libya, but it could become one if the world looks away

By
Kurt Davis Jr.

There are lessons from Libya’s fragmentation and collapse that can be applied now as Syria sits at a similar inflection point.

Conflict
Libya

Programs

Syria Project

The Syria Project advances policy engagement and international partnerships during a pivotal political transition. It serves as a leading platform for independent analysis and high-level dialogue on US-Syria relations, economic recovery, governance, and regional reintegration, leveraging deep networks across Washington, Damascus, and the broader Middle East.

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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

MENASource

Apr 2, 2015

The State of the Islamic State

By Mona Alami

The Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) has upped this ante this month, conducting a series of attacks in a number of Arab countries. While the operations in Syria, Libya, Tunisia, and Yemen pursue the organization’s goal of destabilizing the region, the ISIS escalation also means to display its strength for its supporters.

Iraq Syria

MENASource

Apr 1, 2015

Syria: Moving Beyond the “International Community”

By Frederic C. Hof

The March 31 Kuwait City words of the US Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Samantha Power, to the Third International Humanitarian Pledging Conference for Syria, were powerful and direct.

Syria

MENASource

Apr 1, 2015

Foreign Aid is Good, But Not Enough for Syria

By Raquel Vazquez Llorente

Almost eighty countries and more than forty international organizations gathered in Kuwait to pledge aid money for the crisis in Syria. The United Nations estimates the humanitarian needs in $8.4 billion, raising about half that amount at the conference.

Syria
U.S. Patriot missiles stand guard over Gaziantep, Turkey in 2013

NATOSource

Mar 27, 2015

NATO Says Syrian Rocket Landed in Part of Turkey Not Protected by Patriot Batteries

By Denis Arslan, Today's Zaman

A NATO official has said a Syrian rocket that landed close to a Turkish military unit and slightly wounded five people on Wednesday was outside the areas covered by the current Patriot configuration in Turkey.

Missile Defense NATO

In the News

Mar 27, 2015

Itani on the Propaganda Campaign against ISIS

By Faysal Itani

Al Jazeera quotes Rafik Hariri Center Resident Fellow Faysal Itani on the propaganda pamphlets dropped over Raqqa in the campaign against ISIS:

Syria

MENASource

Mar 27, 2015

Shifting to a Syria-First Approach

By Frederic C. Hof

The stunning decision of the US government to provide combat air support for Iranian-led Shia Iraqi militiamen fighting to liberate the city of Tikrit from the Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) illustrates why Washington and its partners should shift now to a Syria-first anti-ISIL strategy.

Iran Syria

Article

Mar 26, 2015

Opinion: A Fourth Arab Country Melts Down

By Barbara Slavin

Reports on Wednesday that the president of Yemen has fled his country underline the latest crisis to strike the state system in the Middle East. Three other Arab nations – Libya, Syria and Iraq – are already fractured among religious, ethnic and tribal groups, with fighting exacerbated by outsiders bankrolling and arming proxies.

Iraq Libya

MENASource

Mar 25, 2015

Iran’s Free Pass in the Region

By Frederic C. Hof

In his recent Nowruz address to the people of Iran, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said something I have heard more than once from Iranian counterparts in track two (unofficial) discussions: “The negotiations with America are about the nuclear program and nothing else, everyone should know this . . .

Iran Syria

In the News

Mar 24, 2015

Itani on the Quiet Ascent of the Nusra Front in Syria

The AP quotes Rafik Hariri Center Resident Fellow Faysal Itani on the rise of the Nusra Front, Syria’s al-Qaeda affiliate:

Syria

In the News

Mar 19, 2015

Itani on the Fight Against ISIS in Syria

By Faysal Itani

Rafik Hariri Center Resident Fellow Faysal Itani joins Al Jazeera to discuss the switch in US focus in Syria from President Bashar al-Assad to ISIS and how the fighters being trained to combat ISIS will interact with the Assad regime:

Syria
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Experts

Fellow

Nicholas Blanford

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Arabic Conflict

Fellow

Alia Brahimi

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative

Arabic Civil Society

Fellow

Colin Brooks

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative

Iran Middle East

Fellow

Lesley Chavkin

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Economic Statecraft Initiative GeoEconomics Center

Africa Economy & Business

Fellow

Hagar Hajjar Chemali

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Economic Statecraft Initiative GeoEconomics Center

Economy & Business Financial Sanctions and Economic Coercion

Fellow

Arwa Damon

Nonresident Senior Fellow, Syria Project

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Arabic Civil Society
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