Recent analysis

Hof Talks Geneva II

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 Talks Geneva II

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 Talks Geneva II

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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Former Resident Senior Fellow, Syria

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Economic Sanctions
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Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Conflict
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Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

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Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

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Sinan Hatahet


Nonresident Senior Fellow

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

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Former Nonresident Senior Fellow, Syria Project

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

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Diana Rayes 


Nonresident Fellow, Syria Project

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Arabic
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Past events

Online Event
Thu, December 19, 2024 • 12:30 pm ET

Putin loses in Syria. Is Russia in retreat?

Conflict
Europe & Eurasia
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Russia

Online Event
Tue, May 21, 2024 • 10:30 am ET

Exploring investment opportunities in northwest Syria

Conflict
Economic Sanctions
Economy & Business
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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 […]

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Conflict

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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

Jan 21, 2014

Hof Talks Geneva II

By Frederic C. Hof

Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East Senior Fellow Frederic C. Hof joins NPR’s Morning Edition to discuss Syrian peace talks in Geneva:

Syria

In the News

Jan 20, 2014

Hof on Obama’s Syria Policy

By Frederic C. Hof

Rafik Hariri Center Senior Fellow Frederic C. Hof joins BBC News Night to discuss the United States’ failure to stabilize the humanitarian crisis in Syria:

Syria

In the News

Jan 20, 2014

Hof Quoted on Assad’s Path to War

By Frederic C. Hof

Rafik Hariri Center Senior Fellow Frederic C. Hof is quoted by BuzzFeed on Syria’s Bashar al-Assad:

Syria

In the News

Jan 19, 2014

Hof: Syria Needs a Truce before Talks

By Frederic C. Hof

Frederic C. Hof, senior fellow for the Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East, writes in the Financial Times on the upcoming Syria peace talks in Geneva:

Syria
An Antonov An-124 with two Sukhoi Su-27s

NATOSource

Jan 17, 2014

Russia Steps Up Military Aid to Syria’s Assad – Sources

By Jonathan Saul, Reuters

In recent weeks Russia has stepped up supplies of military gear to Syria, including armored vehicles, drones and guided bombs, boosting President Bashar al-Assad just as rebel infighting has weakened the insurgency against him

Drones Russia

New Atlanticist

Jan 16, 2014

To Solve Syria, First Get Assad to Accept UN Aid Workers

By James Rupert

The US and its allies must address their Syria policies to the humanitarian catastrophe of millions of Syrians uprooted or brutalized by the civil war there – and must do it for reasons of realpolitik as well as humanitarianism, according to Atlantic Council Senior Fellow Frederic Hof, a former State Department advisor on Syria. As […]

Syria

In the News

Jan 15, 2014

Hof Talks Syria Donor Conference

By Frederic C. Hof

Hariri Center for the Middle East Senior Fellow Frederic C. Hof joins NPR’s Morning Edition to discuss the donors conference in Kuwait aimed at raising humanitarian aid for Syria:

Syria

MENASource

Jan 13, 2014

Syrian Peace Talks: What is Achievable Near Term?

By Frederic C. Hof

We came together this morning, and we are planning for a Geneva II conference next week for a simple reason: because there is no military solution to the violence that has displaced millions and taken more than 130,000 lives. There is no other alternative to ending this violence and saving the state of Syria than […]

Syria
Germany is Contributing to the Destruction of Syria's Chemical Weapons

NATOSource

Jan 10, 2014

Germany’s Contribution to the OPCW-UN Mission in Syria

By German Foreign Ministry

In response to a request from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), the German Government has decided that Germany will make a substantial contribution towards the destruction of Syrian chemical weapons.

Germany Syria

MENASource

Jan 10, 2014

Syria Ban Ki-moon’s Geneva Conference Invitation

By Frederic C. Hof

On January 6 United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon dispatched written invitations to a “Geneva Conference on Syria” in Switzerland to be convened under his chairmanship. The conference would open with a plenary “high-level format” in Montreux on January 22, where “international participants will be present to demonstrate their meaningful support for constructive negotiations between the […]

Syria
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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
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