A year after Assad: The search for Syria’s future
Syrians are rebuilding their country from the ruins of dictatorship, but progress could stall without a clear vision for the future
Syria
The road ahead: Six ways Europeans can urgently support a stable Syria
After the fall of Assad, many Syrians hope for a better future. But intense political and economic challenges risk derailing the transition. Europeans urgently need to do more to help stabilise Syria’s path in line with their own core interests
Topple, tame, trade: How Turkey is rewriting Syria’s future
Turkey didn’t orchestrate Assad’s fall, but it’s certainly cashing in on the aftermath. Now, it wants to mould Syria in its own image—if it can keep the Kurds from spoiling the party
All change: How Europeans and Gulf Arab states can promote Syria’s political transition
European and Gulf Arab states share common interests in Syria – they should work closely together to ensure a stable transition
How European leaders can support sustainable refugee returns in a post-Assad Syria
A rise in right-wing agendas in European politics is colliding with post-Assad refugee dilemmas for Syrians and the region. European leaders must navigate domestic pressures to support Syria’s transition in a constructive way and ensure voluntary, sustainable returns
The fall of Assad: Europeans have an opportunity to help forge a new Syria
Following a ten-day advance, Syrian rebels have toppled the regime of Bashar al-Assad. European governments should step up support for a stabilising, power-sharing transition to protect their regional interests – and Syria’s citizens
Live from the Doha Forum: The Middle East after Assad
Mark Leonard welcomes Julien Barnes-Dacey, Ellie Geranmayeh, and Vali Nasr to discuss shifting dynamics in the Middle East and their implications for global geopolitics
Back to the battlefield: A new chapter in Syria’s civil war
Syrian rebel forces have seized Aleppo, reigniting the country’s civil war. As Bashar al-Assad remobilises, the country is likely to be sucked into a new cycle of devastating violence
The point of no return: Why the EU must not send Syrians refugees back
European leaders are debating how to increase Syrian refugee returns. But rather than pushing for deportations, the bloc should focus on addressing security concerns and improving economic conditions inside Syria to encourage voluntary returns
Humanitarian first: Delivering aid to Syria in the aftermath of the earthquake
In the aftermath of the earthquake, minimal aid is reaching north-west Syria, the most affected region in the country. European governments need to put humanitarian imperatives first, even if this means temporarily abandoning longstanding political positions
Publications
From aid to inclusion: A better way to help Syrian refugees in Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan
Europeans should adopt a new approach to supporting Syrian refugees – one that would also benefit host communities in Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan
A new Gaza: Turkey’s border policy in northern Syria
EU member states can find ways to cooperate with Turkey to support stabilisation in parts of the safe zone, without violating their interests and core principle
Society max: How Europe can help Syrians survive Assad and coronavirus
European governments should pivot to a strategy focused on protecting those societal forces that are still standing and that can help salvage a better future
Beyond good and evil: Why Europe should bring ISIS foreign fighters home
EU member states have failed to come up with a coherent policy on how to handle the hundreds of their citizens having travelled to join ISIS in Syria
Can Assad win the peace?
Introduction After eight years of war, the Syrian government has reasserted control over much of the territory it lost to opposition and foreign forces. As…
The displacement dilemma: Should Europe help Syrian refugees return home?
Introduction After eight years of fighting and destruction resulting in the largest humanitarian and refugee crisis of our time, the government of Bashar al-Assad…
Alone in the desert? How France can lead Europe in the Middle East
France sees the MENA region as a state for foreign policy and great power politics and an opportunity to shape global politics and punch above its weight
To end a war: Europe’s role in bringing peace to Syria
National politics need to be front and centre in de-escalation efforts
How Britain should respond to chemical weapons attacks in Syria
UK parliament must examine merits of military action in case of further chemical weapons attacks in Syria
No going back: Why decentralisation is the future for Syria
Decentralisation offers one of the few ways to hold the country together, albeit in a looser form
Articles
A year after Assad: The search for Syria’s future
Syrians are rebuilding their country from the ruins of dictatorship, but progress could stall without a clear vision for the future
The road ahead: Six ways Europeans can urgently support a stable Syria
After the fall of Assad, many Syrians hope for a better future. But intense political and economic challenges risk derailing the transition. Europeans urgently need to do more to help stabilise Syria’s path in line with their own core interests
Topple, tame, trade: How Turkey is rewriting Syria’s future
Turkey didn’t orchestrate Assad’s fall, but it’s certainly cashing in on the aftermath. Now, it wants to mould Syria in its own image—if it can keep the Kurds from spoiling the party
All change: How Europeans and Gulf Arab states can promote Syria’s political transition
European and Gulf Arab states share common interests in Syria – they should work closely together to ensure a stable transition
How European leaders can support sustainable refugee returns in a post-Assad Syria
A rise in right-wing agendas in European politics is colliding with post-Assad refugee dilemmas for Syrians and the region. European leaders must navigate domestic pressures to support Syria’s transition in a constructive way and ensure voluntary, sustainable returns
The fall of Assad: Europeans have an opportunity to help forge a new Syria
Following a ten-day advance, Syrian rebels have toppled the regime of Bashar al-Assad. European governments should step up support for a stabilising, power-sharing transition to protect their regional interests – and Syria’s citizens
Back to the battlefield: A new chapter in Syria’s civil war
Syrian rebel forces have seized Aleppo, reigniting the country’s civil war. As Bashar al-Assad remobilises, the country is likely to be sucked into a new cycle of devastating violence
The point of no return: Why the EU must not send Syrians refugees back
European leaders are debating how to increase Syrian refugee returns. But rather than pushing for deportations, the bloc should focus on addressing security concerns and improving economic conditions inside Syria to encourage voluntary returns
Humanitarian first: Delivering aid to Syria in the aftermath of the earthquake
In the aftermath of the earthquake, minimal aid is reaching north-west Syria, the most affected region in the country. European governments need to put humanitarian imperatives first, even if this means temporarily abandoning longstanding political positions
Turkey’s open door closes: How Europe can better support Syrian refugees
If Turkey and other countries begin deporting more Syrians back to Syria, Europe could experience a new wave of arrivals. European policymakers need to devise a more sustainable, longer-term approach to the issue
Specials
Part of the problem: A better European approach to human rights in the Middle East and North Africa
European states face accusations of neglecting the matter of human rights in their southern neighbourhood, and even of being complicit. Yet they are failing to maximise the influence they could bring to bear
Deep sea rivals: Europe, Turkey, and new eastern Mediterranean conflict lines
The eastern Mediterranean is becoming ever more perilous as geopolitical fault lines steadily enmesh the region. These rifts emerge from the Cyprus ‘frozen conflict’, competition for valuable gas fields, and the increasingly entangled wars in Libya and Syria
The Middle East’s new battle lines
An ECFR guide to the key disputes threatening to spark a wider Middle Eastern war
Podcasts
Live from the Doha Forum: The Middle East after Assad
Mark Leonard welcomes Julien Barnes-Dacey, Ellie Geranmayeh, and Vali Nasr to discuss shifting dynamics in the Middle East and their implications for global geopolitics
Syria’s war, Europe’s problem
What does the re-engagement of regional actors mean for the future of Syria? And what role can Europe play to create breathing space in the country?
ECFR Conversation with Ibrahim Kalin
Listen on Mixcloud ECFR Conversation with Ibrahim Kalin, Spokesman and Senior Advisor to the President of Turkey, Recep…
Many elephants in the room: the EU and the Turkey, Syria, coronavirus and refugee crises
The European Union faces a multi-crisis situation at the moment. As the conflict in Idlib and the circumstances at the Greek-Turkish border has erupted, Europe…
After Baghdadi is before Baghdadi: How the West still has to fight ISIS
How will IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s killing impact ISIS as a terror organisation and the situation in Syria? Host Mark Leonard is joined by…
Europe with no cards to play: Erdoğan, Trump, and Europe’s weaknesses
Turkey's offensive into northeast Syria is moving at an unprecedented pace with grave consequences. Europe's utter irrelevance in the face of US withdrawal from the Turkish/Syrian…
The US role in Syria
Anthony Dworkin steps in for Mark Leonard and discusses the US strategy in Syria with Asli Aydintasbas, Julien Barnes-Dacey and Jasmin El-Gamal. The podcast was recorded…
Russia and the Middle East
Podcast de notre conférence du 1 octobre en partenariat avec l’Institut d’études de sécurité de l’Union européenne (EUISS) : « Russia and the Middle East…
The Idlib crisis – Can Turkey and Europe avert disaster?
Mark Leonard examines the looming Syrian-Russian military action in Idlib in discussion with ECFR experts Asli Aydıntaşbaş, Julien Barnes-Dacey, and Almut Möller. What do Turks…
The role of France in the Middle East
Is France alone in the desert? ECFR experts Julien Barnes-Dacey and Manuel Lafont Rapnouil discuss how France can lead Europe in the Middle East
Events
13
Dec
Middle East and North Africa
Part of the problem? A better European approach to human rights in the Middle East and North Africa
How can Europeans more effectively advance their human rights agenda as part of, and while maintaining, their broader relationships with regional states?
14
Feb
Middle East and North Africa
Pourquoi l’Europe doit-elle rapatrier ses ressortissants combattant pour l’EI ?
Madame, Monsieur, cher.e.s ami.e.s de l’ECFR, Nous avons le plaisir de vous inviter à un Black Coffee Morning sur le thème suivant : ” Pourquoi l’Europe doit-elle rapatrier ses ressortissants combattant pour l’Etat islamique ? “ Le vendredi 14 février 2020 De 8h30 à 10h00 13, rue Paul Lelong…
31
Oct
Middle East and North Africa
Trump’s pull out: What next for Syria and what next for European Policy?
A panel discussion on the effects of the withdrawal of American troops from Syria and the EUs possibilities with regards to reacting to the ongoing crisis
28
Mar
Middle East and North Africa
Le retour des combattants terroristes étrangers dans l’Union Européenne
Nous avons le plaisir de vous inviter à un Black Coffee Morning, en présence de Marc Hecker, Sharon Weill, Anthony Dworkin et Manuel Lafont Rapnouil, directeur du bureau de Paris de l’ECFR sur le thème suivant : « Le retour des combattants terroristes étrangers dans l’Union Européenne ».
2
Oct
European Power
« Comment la France peut remobiliser l’Europe au Moyen-Orient »
Nous avons le plaisir de vous inviter à une table ronde avec Nicholas Westcott, Directeur la Royal African Society de Londres, Gurvan Le Bras, Chargé de mission au CAPS, Manuel Lafont Rapnouil, Directeur du bureau de Paris de l’ECFR, et Claude Guibal, grand reporter à France Inter
22
Sep
Middle East and North Africa
Que peut faire l’Europe pour établir la paix en Syrie ?
L'ECFR a le plaisir de vous convier à un BCM animé par Julien Barnes-Dacey et Manuel Lafont Rapnouil
19
Oct
Middle East and North Africa
« La décentralisation est-elle la solution du conflit syrien ? »
Table ronde avec Jihad Yazigi, Bassma Kodmani et Manuel Lafont Rapnouil sur le conflit en Syrie
5
Jul
European Power
Berlin Foreign Policy Club: Syrien und die EU
Ein Berlin Foreign Policy Club Treffen zum Thema “Syrien und die EU”, wobei das neue Papier von Julien Barnes-Dacey “The war next door: Syria and the erosion of stability in Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey” vorgestellt wurde.
10
May
European Power
Медийна закуска със Себастиан Дулиен за Европейския бежански съюз
На организирана медийна закуска от ЕСВП София, заедно с колегата ни от Берлин Себастиан Дулиен ще ви представихме доклада „Цената на бежанската криза в Европа“, който разглежда икономическия аспект зад бежанската криза и аргументира създаването на един по-формален Европейски бежански съюз, който да координира реакциите на ЕС. Себастиан призовава за отделяне на финансовите разходи по бежанската…
12
Apr
Middle East and North Africa
Struggling to Survive: Slavery and Exploitation of Syrian Refugees in Lebanon
How can Europe help to ensure the protection of Syrian refugees in Lebanon?
In the media
Angela Ziccardi on US-Iran talks of February 6, the role of Oman as mediator and latest developments in Syria
Julien Barnes-Dacey on the clashes between the Syrian government and Kurdish forces in Aleppo
Julien Barnes-Dacey on the stalemate between the Syrian government and the SDF as being caused by a difference in political standpoint
