From the Middle East to Middle America: Engineering Better Policy with Andrew J. Tabler
Brian sits down with Andrew J. Tabler, the Martin J. Gross Senior Fellow in the Linda and Tony Rubin Program on Arab Politics at The Washington Institute, to trace his unique and distinctive path from Oil City, Pennsylvania, to fourteen years living and working in the Middle East. Tabler discusses his time in Syria under the Assad regime, his service as director for Syria at the National Security Council and as senior advisor to the Special Envoy for Syria Engagement at the US State Department’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs in the first Trump administration, and explains how these experiences shaped his perspective and inspired him to found the Drake Energy Forum.
When the US and Israel launched military action against Iran on February 28, 2026, it set in motion a chain of events that saw violence spread across the Middle East. Yet as the region found itself engulfed in conflict, Syria has experienced its most peaceful months in 15 years, and the government in Damascus appears determined to stay its course toward recovery.
Unlocking the Levant: Why the United States and Syria Must Pursue a Bilateral Trade and Investment Agreement
Apart from the brief honeymoon period between 1961 and 1963 under President John F. Kennedy and President Nazim al-Qudsi, US-Syria relations have never held such optimistic potential as they do today. Today, following the fall of Bashar al-Assad regime and the rise of a new government under President Ahmad al-Sharaa at the end of 2024, a new geopolitical window has opened.
MEI’s Syria Initiative seeks to provide insightful and grounded research and analysis on all things Syria in order to better inform a wide range of audiences and to help sustain and shape a more meaningful policy-oriented discussion.
The Middle East Institute, The Atlantic Council, 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.
The Middle East Institute is proud to present a paper based on a series of discussions with Middle East analysts sponsored by the Hollings Center for International Dialogue held in Istanbul and Washington about the regional implications of the Syria Crisis.
The Syrian Opposition Will Benefit from Integrating Its Civilian-Military Chain of Command
Assertions and opinions in this publication are solely those of the above-mentioned author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Middle East Institute, which expressly does not take positions on Middle East policy
This article was first published by Reuters on December 12, 2012
Assertions and opinions in this publication are solely those of the above-mentioned author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Middle East Institute, which expressly does not take positions on Middle East policy
The Middle East Institute and IRD Present:Syria: Humanitarian Impact and the U.S. Response Featuring: Robert Ford, U.S. Ambassador to SyriaMark Bartolini, Director of the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance, USAIDAlbert Cevallos, Acting Director of Democracy, Governance, & Community Development, IRDOpening Remarks by: Arthur B. Keyes, President and CEO, IRDModerated by: Amb. Deborah Jones Thursday, November 29, 20129:00am-10:30am St.
The Middle East Institute and IRD Present:Syria: Humanitarian Impact and the U.S. Response Featuring: Robert Ford, U.S. Ambassador to SyriaMark Bartolini, Director of the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance, USAIDAlbert Cevallos, Acting Director of Democracy, Governance, & Community Development, IRDOpening Remarks by: Arthur B. Keyes, President and CEO, IRDModerated by: Amb. Deborah Jones Thursday, November 29, 20129:00am-10:30am St.
The Middle East Institute and IRD Present:Syria: Humanitarian Impact and the U.S. Response Featuring: Robert Ford, U.S. Ambassador to SyriaMark Bartolini, Director of the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance, USAIDAlbert Cevallos, Acting Director of Democracy, Governance, & Community Development, IRDOpening Remarks by: Arthur B. Keyes, President and CEO, IRDModerated by: Amb. Deborah Jones Thursday, November 29, 20129:00am-10:30am St.
The Middle East Institute and IRD Present:Syria: Humanitarian Impact and the U.S. Response Featuring: Robert Ford, U.S. Ambassador to SyriaMark Bartolini, Director of the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance, USAIDAlbert Cevallos, Acting Director of Democracy, Governance, & Community Development, IRDOpening Remarks by: Arthur B. Keyes, President and CEO, IRDModerated by: Amb. Deborah Jones Thursday, November 29, 20129:00am-10:30am St.
The Middle East Institute and IRD Present:Syria: Humanitarian Impact and the U.S. Response Featuring: Robert Ford, U.S. Ambassador to SyriaMark Bartolini, Director of the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance, USAIDAlbert Cevallos, Acting Director of Democracy, Governance, & Community Development, IRDOpening Remarks by: Arthur B. Keyes, President and CEO, IRDModerated by: Amb. Deborah Jones Thursday, November 29, 20129:00am-10:30am St.
This Opinion was first published on Reuters.com on October 11, 2012
Assertions and opinions in this policy paper are solely those of the above-mentioned author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Middle East Institute, which expressly does not take positions on Middle East policy.
MEI’s Syria Initiative seeks to provide insightful and grounded research and analysis on all things Syria in order to better inform a wide range of audiences and to help sustain and shape a more meaningful policy-oriented discussion. Drawing on the expertise of over a dozen renowned scholars, the Syria Program covers all aspects of Syria and its ongoing crises – from political, economic, legal, social, ethnic and religious dynamics, to conflict, insurgency and terrorism and the country’s history and possible futures.
