WASHINGTON DC

Rebels, Radicals, and the Regime: Finding a Way Forward in Syria

Presented by the Middle East Institute

On the fourth anniversary of the devastating Syria conflict, The Middle East Institute is pleased to welcome Michael Eisenstadt (The Washington Institute for Near East Policy), Robert Ford (The Middle East Institute, Former U.S. Ambassador to Syria), Mohammed Ghanem (Syrian American Council), and Dafna Rand (Center for a New American Security) for a discussion about how to break the stalemate in Syria and move the country toward a peaceful political transition.

Following the recent collapse of the main U.S.-backed rebel group, Harakat al Hazm, how should the U.S. re-think its strategy toward Syria’s moderate opposition? How might its recently launched train-and-equip program in Turkey affect dynamics inside Syria? How likely is the UN-proposed freeze in Aleppo to succeed, and how viable is Moscow’s renewed push for peace between the regime and its opponents?

The panelists will analyze these questions and assess the likelihood of finding a way forward in Syria in a discussion moderated by Paul Salem (The Middle East Institute).

**A light lunch will be served.**

Featured Speakers:

Michael Eisenstadt is the Kahn Fellow and director of the Military and Security Studies Program of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP).. A specialist in Persian Gulf and Arab-Israeli security affairs, he has published widely on irregular and conventional warfare and nuclear weapons proliferation in the Middle East.

Robert Ford is senior fellow at The Middle East Institute and concurrently teaches at Johns Hopkins University. He recently concluded a 30-year career with the U.S. Foreign Service after serving as Ambassador to Syria from 2010 to 2014, and previously as Ambassador to Algeria

Mohammed Alaa Ghanem is the senior political adviser, government relations director, and strategist for the Syrian American Council in Washington DC.

Dafna Hochman Rand is the deputy director of studies and the inaugural Leon E. Panetta Fellow at the Center for a New American Security. Her research focuses on Middle East security and U.S. foreign policy. Prior to joining CNAS, Rand served on the staff of the National Security Council, where she was responsible for global U.S. assistance efforts in support of democratic transitions, good governance, and the rule-of-law.

Paul Salem (Moderator) is vice president for policy and research at The Middle East Institute.