Recent analysis

Hof: “The War That Matters for Assad is for Western 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: “The War That Matters for Assad is for Western 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: “The War That Matters for Assad is for Western 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.

LEARN MORE

Featured experts

Former fellow


Qutaiba Idlbi


Former Resident Senior Fellow, Syria

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Economic Sanctions
Entrepreneurship

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

Former fellow


Hind Kabawat


Former Nonresident Senior Fellow, Syria Project

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

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

Load More

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

Apr 16, 2014

Hof: “The War That Matters for Assad is for Western Syria”

By Frederic C. Hof

Rafik Hariri Center Senior Fellow Frederic Hof is quoted by Christian Science Monitor on the Assad regime’s recent battlefield successes: 

Syria

MENASource

Apr 16, 2014

Syria: Is There a Conscious Administration Strategy?

By Frederic C. Hof

At a recent regional conference hosted by the Lebanese Armed Forces in Beirut, a very prominent, careful, and well-connected journalist offered a stunning hypothesis that achieved instant credibility with a roomful of mainly Arab defense, foreign policy, and academic intellectuals: that far from being at sea in terms of Syria policy, the Obama administration is […]

Syria

MENASource

Apr 15, 2014

Remembering Patrick Seale and the Syria He Loved (Foreword by Frederic Hof)

By Walid Joumblat

The passing of author Patrick Seale offers an opportunity to reflect on what has become of the country he loved and whose history he chronicled: Syria. The Struggle for Syria, first published in 1965, was and remains a classic: essential reading for anyone seeking to understand Syria—even, or perhaps especially, the Syria of 2014.

Syria

MENASource

Apr 14, 2014

Syria: “Unbelievably Small” Confirmed

By Fred C. Hof

Secretary of State John Kerry’s Syria-related testimony of April 9th to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee attracted the attention of many at the Lebanese Army’s Fourth Annual Strategic Conference in Beirut.  Kerry confirmed in his testimony that his September 2013 characterization of pending American airstrikes as an “unbelievably small, limited kind of effort” was literally […]

Syria

MENASource

Apr 14, 2014

We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed with Our Families in Moadamiya, Syria

By Matthew Hall

Philip Gourevitch had the terrible duty to chronicle the spasm of genocidal violence that visited Rwanda twenty years ago. His work captured in intimate detail not only the gruesome action of machetes but also victims’ unheeded appeals for help. In a tragic episode that gave Gourevitch’s book its title, a group of community leaders huddled […]

Syria

In the News

Apr 11, 2014

Slavin on Threat of Collapsed Syrian Health Care System

By Barbara Slavin

South Asia Center Senior Fellow Barbara Slavin writes for Al Monitor on how more Syrians are dying from preventable diseases than from combat:

Syria

In the News

Apr 11, 2014

Hof on Jordanian Support in Syria

By Frederic C. Hof

The New York Times quotes Rafik Hariri Center Senior Fellow Frederic Hof on Jordan’s covert support of Syrian opposition forces: 

Syria

MENASource

Apr 10, 2014

Why Assad’s Foothold in the Golan Will Endure

By Daniel Stoker

During the three years of war across the border in Syria, periodic reports have surfaced claiming that the Druze population in the Israeli controlled Golan Heights is inching closer to turning against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Syria

In the News

Apr 8, 2014

Hof on Syria’s Presidential Campaign

By Frederic C. Hof

The Daily Star quotes Rafik Hariri Center Senior Fellow Frederic Hof on the presidential campaign in Syria:

Syria

In the News

Apr 8, 2014

Hof on the Likelihood of an Election Victory for Assad

By Frederic C. Hof

Bloomberg Businessweek quotes Rafik Hariri Senior Fellow Frederic Hof on the likelihood of an election victory for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad:

Syria
Load More

Experts

Fellow

Marie Forestier 

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Arabic French

Fellow

Ibrahim Al-Assil

Resident Senior Fellow, Syria Project

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Arabic Conflict

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

Fellow

Lukas Andriukaitis

Nonresident Fellow

Digital Forensic Research Lab

Disinformation Eastern Europe

Staff

Elise Baker

Senior Staff Lawyer, Strategic Litigation Project

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Civil Society Extremism
Load More