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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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Meeting of NATO Defense Ministers, June 4, 2013

NATOSource

Aug 29, 2013

NATO Supports but Stays Out of Possible Syria Strikes by its Members

By Paul Richter and Henry Chu, Los Angeles Times

The White House got a vote of support from the 28-member North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the key Western military alliance.

NATO Security & Defense

MENASource

Aug 29, 2013

Restoring US Credibility in Syria?

By Faysal Itani

The United States appears likely to attack targets in Syria in the next few days. This has triggered speculation in policy circles and the media about possible responses from Syria, Hezbollah, and Iran.

Syria

New Atlanticist

Aug 28, 2013

US Strike on Syria Could Be Prelude to Diplomacy

By Barbara Slavin

It’s hard to accuse the Barack Obama administration of being trigger happy.   While Obama has been willing to use force to kill Taliban and al-Qaida militants, he has studiously avoided embroiling the United States in another war in the Middle East or South Asia.   The apparent U.S. decision to strike Syria for what […]

Iran National Security

Event Recap

Aug 28, 2013

Experts Highlight Reasons and Implications for Intervention in Syria

Multiple reports have indicated that a US-led Western coalition will strike Syrian military targets “as early as Thursday.” The Obama administration is discussing multiple considerations and contingencies in regard to how it should approach the response to the chemical weapons attack in Ghouta, Syria. To discuss these considerations and their implications for Syria, the war, […]

Syria
USAF KC-135R Stratotanker at Incirlik air base

NATOSource

Aug 28, 2013

Turkey may Open İncirlik Base for NATO Mission in Syria

By Murat Yetkin, Hurriyet Daily News

Turkey may open its strategic İncirlik air base for possible military operations into neighboring Syria, if the Western defense alliance NATO decides for an intervention in the ongoing civil war, a ranking Turkish official told the Hürriyet Daily News on Aug. 26.

France Germany

News

Aug 28, 2013

New Developments in Syria

From Obama’s “red line” to confirmation of the use of chemical weapons, events in Syria are developing quickly. Atlantic Council experts are appearing in the media daily and posting analysis as events unfold.

Syria
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, June 5, 2013

NATOSource

Aug 28, 2013

NATO Condemns Use of Chemical Weapons and Warns that ‘Those Responsible must be Held Accountable’

By Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO

The North Atlantic Council has just discussed the situation in Syria and in particular the horrific use of chemical weapons around Damascus on 21 August.

NATO Security & Defense
USS Barry launches Tomahawk for JTF Odyssey Dawn (Photo: Flickr/US Navy/Jonathan Sunderman)

New Atlanticist

Aug 27, 2013

Syria: A Shot in the Dark

By Julian Lindley-French

There are times when a punitive military strike can be justified, legitimate, proportionate, and effective. US Secretary of State John Kerry has described last week’s use of chemical weapons against the population of a Damascus suburb as a “moral obscenity.” He is of course right–the use of such weapons against civilians is a disgusting act […]

International Organizations Politics & Diplomacy
Syrian soldier, May 14, 1992

NATOSource

Aug 27, 2013

Pentagon Sees Syrian Military, Not Chemical Sites, as Target

By Thom Shanker, C.J. Chivers and Michael R. Gordon, New York Times

President Obama is considering a range of limited military actions against Syria that are designed to “deter and degrade” the ability of President Bashar al-Assad’s regime to launch chemical weapons, Pentagon officials said Tuesday.

Syria United States and Canada
Meeting of the North Atlantic Council at NATO headquarters, June 4, 2013

NATOSource

Aug 27, 2013

Report: NATO Planning Emergency Meeting on Syria on Thursday

By ITAR-TASS

NATO is planning an emergency meeting to discuss the situation in Syria in the wake of the chemical attack in suburban Damascus on August 21. According to the available information, the meeting might take place on August 29, a well-informed diplomatic source told Itar-Tass.

NATO Security & Defense

Experts