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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.


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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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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.

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New Atlanticist

Sep 18, 2013

The Syrian Sisyphus

By Harlan Ullman

The framework for elimination of Syrian chemical weapons agreed to last week by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov could, and could is the operative word, potentially become the most stunning geostrategic event in global security since Richard Nixon’s outreach to China and the demise of the Soviet Union. […]

Russia Syria

New Atlanticist

Sep 18, 2013

Iran’s Footprint in Syria

By Henry Johnson

While US strategy towards Syria has been mired by indecision, Iran has steadily entrenched its interests in the war-torn country. Iran has pursued a two-track policy of, on the one hand, directly propping up the regime, and, on the other, equipping and training militias loyal to Bashar al-Assad. It has also promoted the convergence of […]

Iran Syria
NATO Russia Council meeting, April 2012

NATOSource

Sep 18, 2013

NATO-Russia Council Supports UN Action in the Event of Syrian Non-Compliance

By NATO

Statement by the Chairman of the NATO-Russia Council on US-Russia framework for the elimination of Syrian chemical weapons.

International Organizations NATO

New Atlanticist

Sep 17, 2013

It Isn’t the Military’s Place to Weigh in on the Syria Debate

By James Joyner

America’s generals and admirals, junior officers, and enlisted people overwhelmingly oppose military intervention in Syria. We should not know that.

Syria United States and Canada
Radar Track of Downing of Syrian Helicopter

NATOSource

Sep 16, 2013

Turkish Warplanes Shot Down Syrian Helicopter

By Today's Zaman, AP, Hurriyet Daily News

From Today’s Zaman:  Turkish warplanes shot down a Syrian helicopter on Monday after it violated Turkish airspace and are continuing to patrol the border, Turkey’s Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç said.

International Organizations NATO

MENASource

Sep 16, 2013

Syria: The Chemistry of Continuing Conflict

By Frederic C. Hof

The framework agreement arrived at by Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, is a good beginning to a worthy end: removing all chemical weapons and their components from the arsenal of a regime that has used them in its longstanding and continuing campaign of mass terror against Syrian civilians.

Syria

New Atlanticist

Sep 16, 2013

Eye on Syria: US and Russia Reach Deal on Syria

News Deal Represents Turn for Syria; Rebels Deflated, New York TimesBoth sides in Syria’s civil war see the deal to dismantle President Bashar al-Assad’s chemical weapons stockpiles as a major turning point. It left rebels deflated and government supporters jubilant. And both sides say it means the United States knows Mr. Assad is not going anywhere anytime […]

Syria
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Oct. 9, 2012

NATOSource

Sep 16, 2013

NATO Secretary General Welcomes US/Russia Agreement on Syria’s Chemical Arsenal

By Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO

Statement by the NATO Secretary General on the framework for elimination of Syrian chemical weapons.

NATO Russia

New Atlanticist

Sep 13, 2013

Diplomacy to the Rescue in Syria?

By R. Nicholas Burns

A huge collective sigh of relief from the White House, Congress, and Bashar Assad’s palace in Damascus was heard round the world earlier this week when the Russians came to the rescue. The unlikely savior — the cynical and calculating Vladimir Putin — seized the moment in the Syria quagmire by offering a lifeline of […]

Syria

New Atlanticist

Sep 13, 2013

Initial Reaction to the Geneva Joint Statement

Secretary of State John Kerry, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, and UN Special Representative Lakhdar just emerged from their discussion about a potential Geneva 2 peace conference to make brief, individual statements. Questions were not taken. According to Kerry, if progress can be made on the chemical issue he and Lavrov would likely meet in […]

Syria

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