Recent analysis

NATO Secretary General Holds Talks with Libya, Turkey

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

NATO Secretary General Holds Talks with Libya, Turkey

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

NATO Secretary General Holds Talks with Libya, Turkey

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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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

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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

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen and the Prime Minister of Libya, Ali Zeidan

NATOSource

Sep 26, 2013

NATO Secretary General Holds Talks with Libya, Turkey

By NATO

The Alliance remains open to help the Libyan government rebuild its security sector, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen told Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zeidan

International Organizations Libya
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, March 18, 2013

NATOSource

Sep 26, 2013

NATO Still has Vital Role, Secretary General Says

By Tom Vanden Brook, USA TODAY

NATO, the alliance born and bred in the Cold War, has provided good value for the U.S. taxpayer

NATO Security & Defense
F-16 from the Turkish Air Force

NATOSource

Sep 25, 2013

NATO Expects Turkey to Exercise Greater Restraint on Syria

By Lale Kemal, Today's Zaman

Some NATO officials talking to Today’s Zaman recalled that it was not first time that Syrian helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles have violated Turkish air space during their missions to attack the opposition targets.

NATO Security & Defense

MENASource

Sep 25, 2013

Syria: The President Speaks

By Frederic Hof

Using the forum of the United Nations General Assembly, President Barack Obama tried to present a coherent picture of the US approach to a region whose challenges will dominate the balance of his presidency whether he likes it or not.

Syria

NATOSource

Sep 25, 2013

NATO Chief Backs US Threat of Force Against Syria

By Scott Stearns, Voice of America

NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen says the United States should keep up its threat of military action against Syria so as to push forward a deal to end Syria’s chemical weapons program.

International Organizations NATO

MENASource

Sep 24, 2013

Syria: Is There a Pathway to Peace?

By Frederic C. Hof

These remarks were delivered to the Belfer Center Board, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University on September 24, 2013.

Syria

New Atlanticist

Sep 23, 2013

Could US, Iran Agree On Syria Without Assad?

By Barbara Slavin

More than two years after President Barack Obama said it was time for Syria’s president to go, Bashar al-Assad is still in power in Damascus. But new evidence from the United Nations pointing to his regime’s large-scale use of chemical weapons makes it more plausible that Assad could leave office as part of an international […]

Iran Syria
The NATO-Russia Council discussed Syria on Sept. 17, 2013

NATOSource

Sep 20, 2013

Russian Ambassador: Some NATO Countries Ready to Assist Eliminating Chemical Weapons in Syria

By Alexander Grushko, Russian Embassy to the UK

Excerpt from ITAR-TASS interview with Alexander Grushko, Russia’s Permanent Representative to NATO.

NATO Russia
Symbol of Russia's Federal Security Service

NATOSource

Sep 20, 2013

Hundreds of Russians Fighting as Mercenaries in Syria – FSB

By RIA Novosti

Some 300 to 400 Russians are fighting in the Syrian civil war as soldiers of fortune, a senior official in Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) told reporters on Friday.

Russia Syria

MENASource

Sep 19, 2013

There Will Be No Syrian Solution Until the Shelling Stops

By Frederic C. Hof

“Government forces continued to rely on heavy and often indiscriminate firepower to target areas they were unwilling or unable to recapture through ground operations. A variety of fire assets, including missiles, jet fighters and artillery, were systematically employed against restive localities to prevent a return to normality under armed group control and to sanction the […]

Syria
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Experts

Fellow

Ibrahim Al-Assil

Resident Senior Fellow, Syria Project

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Arabic Conflict

Fellow

Marie Forestier 

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Arabic French

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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