Resolving the Detainee Crisis


The Middle East Institute (MEI), in partnership with the International Center for the Study of Radicalization (ICSR) at King’s College London, is spearheading a high-level initiative aimed at resolving a major security and humanitarian crisis that resulted from the territorial defeat of ISIS in Syria in 2019. Since then, the U.S. and local Syrian partners have been holding more than 9,000 ISIS fighters in 26 makeshift prisons and 45,000 associated family members in secured camps – all representing more than 55 different nationalities.

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Syria Strategy Project


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.

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About the Initiative Director

Charles Lister

Lister is the author of “The Syrian Jihad: Al-Qaeda, the Islamic State and the Evolution of an Insurgency” (Oxford University Press, 2016). His research focuses on terrorism and insurgency across the Levant. As a senior consultant to the Syria Track II Dialogue Initiative, he managed nearly three years of intensive face-to-face engagement with the leaderships of over 100 Syrian armed opposition groups.

Full Biography