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

Obama’s ISIS Strategy Likely to Put 5,000 US Troops Around Iraq Within 90 Days, Former CIA Chief Says

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

Obama’s ISIS Strategy Likely to Put 5,000 US Troops Around Iraq Within 90 Days, Former CIA Chief Says

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

Obama’s ISIS Strategy Likely to Put 5,000 US Troops Around Iraq Within 90 Days, Former CIA Chief Says

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

New Atlanticist

Sep 11, 2014

Obama’s ISIS Strategy Likely to Put 5,000 US Troops Around Iraq Within 90 Days, Former CIA Chief Says

By Alex Ward and Liz Harper

Hayden: Plan Is a Step Forward, But US Should Know ‘We Are Putting Americans in Harm’s Way’ President Barack Obama’s new strategy for confronting the explosive growth of the ISIS militant movement in Iraq and Syria puts the United States “in a better place than we have been,” said General Michael Hayden, Atlantic Council board […]

Iraq Syria

Article

Sep 11, 2014

Column: Coalition Against Islamic State Must Include Iran

By Barbara Slavin

President Barack Obama is right to focus on the responsibility of the Sunni Muslim world to attack and expunge the cancer that is the militant group calling itself the Islamic State (IS). The group’s perversion of Islam in the service of its barbaric goals needs to be confronted first and foremost by those for whom […]

Iraq Saudi Arabia

Article

Sep 11, 2014

“Obama’s battle plan”

By Nicholas Burns

Obama’s foreign policy needs conviction of leadership IT’S NO secret that President Obama has had a troubled year in foreign policy. Critics from left, right, and center have lamented a global strategy lacking in toughness, strategic direction, and results. During the past few months, many of America’s closest friends have openly worried about America’s leadership […]

Iraq NATO

MENASource

Sep 11, 2014

Expert Reactions to President Obama’s Speech on ISIS

President Barack Obama has faced tremendous pressure to respond to the stunning growth of the Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS, ISIL, or Islamic State). The group’s videos, showing the beheading of two American journalists, brought the conflict to bear directly on the United States in a way that captured domestic attention as never […]

Iraq Syria

In the News

Sep 11, 2014

Ricciardone on Working with Turkey in Syria

By Francis Ricciardone

McClatchy quotes VP and Rafik Hariri Center Director Francis Ricciardone on conflicting interests in Syria between the United States and Turkey:  

Syria

MENASource

Sep 10, 2014

A Real Anti-ISIS Coalition Would Not Be Regional, But Local

By Faysal Itani

The United States government has repeatedly called for a regional coalition to fight the Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS). In reality, such a coalition would be difficult to assemble and is unlikely to destroy the group. This is especially true in Syria, where ISIS can retreat and regroup at will, and where there […]

Syria

In the News

Sep 10, 2014

Hof on Obama’s Strategy for Tackling ISIS Threat

By Frederic C. Hof

Reuters quotes Rafik Hariri Center Senior Fellow Frederic Hof on President Obama’s strategy for combating the threat of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham:

Syria

MENASource

Sep 9, 2014

The Islamic State: First the Strategy, Then What?

By Frederic C. Hof

Not long ago President Barack Obama took some heat for committing truth: for saying that a strategy was not yet in place to counter the pseudo-Islamic, terrorist-criminal phenomenon calling itself the “Islamic State:” a murderous organization dominating pieces of Iraq and Syria, adding up in size to New England.

Syria

In the News

Sep 3, 2014

Ullman: Obama’s Fatal Strategic Flaw?

By Harlan Ullman

Brent Scowcroft Center Senior Adviser Harlan Ullman writes for UPI on President Obama’s strategy for combating the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham:

Syria

In the News

Sep 3, 2014

Slavin: US Official Says ISIS Threatens to Outpace al-Qaeda

By Barbara Slavin

South Asia Center Nonresident Fellow Barbara Slavin writes for Al-Monitor on an address given by National Counterterrorism Center Director Matthew Olsen on the threat of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham:

Iraq Syria
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Experts

Fellow

Ibrahim Al-Assil

Nonresident Senior Fellow, Syria Project

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Arabic Conflict

Fellow

Yesar Al-Maleki

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Iraq Initiative Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Arabic Geopolitics & Energy Security

Fellow

Samir Altaqi

Nonresident Senior Fellow, Syria Project

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Arabic Middle East

Fellow

Wa’el Alzayat

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Arabic Economy & Business

Staff

Elise Baker

Senior Staff Lawyer, Strategic Litigation Project

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Civil Society Extremism

Fellow

Nicholas Blanford

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Arabic Conflict
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Events

Online Event Wed, November 18, 2026 • 11:00 am ET

The future of Iraq-Syria relations
Iraq Politics & Diplomacy Syria