Pillar II: Levant Stabilization

This pillar will bring to together regional, international, and local stakeholders to advance post-conflict stabilization and economic recovery in Syria, Lebanon, and beyond

The Middle East Program will serve as the pre-eminent convening space for all key stakeholders engaged in post-conflict stabilization and economic development, with a particular focus on Syria and Lebanon, and potentially Gaza. The forum will focus on activities designed to engage key stakeholders involved in stabilization efforts as well as to inform U.S. policy. It will convene key Gulf stakeholders funding stabilization efforts (e.g., Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE), U.S. and international community interlocutors (e.g., USG, World Bank, United Nations), and INGOs, as well as Syrian and Lebanese stakeholders. Specifically, the initiative will look to connect the “missing link” of technical expertise and deep experience embodied by former USAID, multilaterals, INGOs and other implementers to Gulf funders and stabilizing countries. This initiative will also develop insights and knowledge on the emerging assistance landscape, a new “ecosystem” that includes new funders, broadened stakeholders, and new approaches and tools, including the innovative use of AI. It will work closely with members of the Lebanese and Syrian diasporas, tapping their expertise and passion for peace and prosperity in their respective countries.

This initiative is made possible by general support to CSIS.

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Featured Report

Photo: Omar Albaw / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images

Photo: Omar Albaw / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images

The Self-Reliance Dividend: The Imperative of Syrian Refugees’ Economic Inclusion

The current model for refugee management has failed. Will Todman argues that Gulf and Western actors should advance a new approach that prioritizes Syrian refugees’ self-reliance and private sector integration, making them part of the regional connectivity agenda.

Report by Will Todman — October 5, 2026

Featured Video

The Need for a New Refugee Response in the Middle East

International donors have spent tens of billions of dollars on the response to Syrian refugees in the Middle East over the last 15 years, but most refugees remain dependent on aid, excluded from formal labor markets, burdened by debt, and ill-prepared to rebuild their lives in a post-Assad Syria. However, a new geopolitical opening has emerged that makes a radical rethinking of the refugee response possible.

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Photo: ANWAR AMRO/AFP via Getty Images

Photo: ANWAR AMRO/AFP via Getty Images

Lebanon’s Growing Humanitarian Crisis

A humanitarian emergency is growing among Lebanese. Overlaps in humanitarian responses risk fueling tensions and wasting limited aid resources. CSIS's Will Todman and Caleb Harper argue that an independent review is necessary to maximize the effectiveness of humanitarian aid.

Brief by Will Todman and Caleb Harper — December 16, 2021

All Pillar II: Levant Stabilization Content

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The Price of Exclusion

This installment of Charting the Middle East spotlights how Western aid cuts have rendered the current international response to Syrian refugees obsolete.

Newsletter by Will Todman — October 7, 2026

Saudi Arabia Faces the Era of Disequilibrium

Saudi Arabia faces a new era of uncertainty. The Iran war has exposed the kingdom to the vulnerabilities of regional conflict, prompting Riyadh to rethink its security partnerships, energy strategy, and Vision 2030 ambitions.

Commentary by Michael Ratney — September 24, 2026

Fueling Discontent 

This installment of Charting the Middle East traces the rapid rise in government-set fuel prices in Syria, highlighting how the Iran war’s economic effects are introducing new risks to regional stability.

Newsletter by Mona Yacoubian and Kira Nygren — September 24, 2026

The Levantine Opportunity in a Churning Middle East

The wars of the past three years have eroded the fragile order of the Middle East. Now, for the first time in decades, the Levant has a chance to create a new alignment and build a regional order centered around strong, inclusive states, stability, and open trade.

Commentary by Paul Salem — September 21, 2026

Iran and the Emerging Security Order in the Middle East

The war with Iran has reshaped the Middle East, exposing the limits of U.S. power and raising questions about the future of regional security. As the old order unravels, Tehran may emerge with greater influence in a more multipolar region.

Commentary by Vali Nasr — September 14, 2026

The Middle East at a “Hinge Moment”

The Middle East has entered a hinge moment—the old order dying, a new one yet to emerge. As the region’s own actors, fortified by newfound agency, compete to shape this unsettled interval, many trajectories, from renewed conflict to stabilization, remain possible.

Commentary by Mona Yacoubian — September 9, 2026