29
March 2016
Past Event
The Syrian War, Five Years On

The Syrian War, Five Years On

Past Event
Hudson Institute, Washington, D.C. Headquarters
March 29, 2016
29
March 2016
Past Event

1201 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Suite 400
Washington, DC 20004

Speakers:
Lee Smith

Former Senior Fellow

michael_doran
Michael Doran

Senior Fellow and Director, Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East

Default Expert Image
Joseph Bahout
Jomana Qaddour

Policy Analyst, U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom

Five years ago, a group of young students in the small Syrian city of Deraa spray-painted their school’s wall with the slogan of the Arab Spring, “the people want to topple the regime.” The teenagers were arrested and tortured by President Bashar al-Assad’s security forces. In reaction, Syrians across the country took to the streets in peaceful protest against Assad. The regime responded with brutal force, ordering government troops to shoot into civilian groups who had gathered to demonstrate across the country. Many were murdered, and thousands were arrested and tortured.

Since 2011, nearly half a million Syrians have been killed, millions are internally displaced, and millions more are scattered across the Middle East and Europe as refugees. The Syrian conflict has turned into a three-pronged catastrophe: a genocide, refugee crisis, and multi-power war involving states and non-state actors. Five years on, with the regime shaken but far from toppled, there has been little resolution to the range of issues—religious, cultural, political, and ethnic—central to the conflict.

On March 29, Hudson Institute hosted a panel on the Syrian War featuring Michael Doran, Joseph Bahout, and Jomana Qaddour. Hudson Senior Fellow Lee Smith moderated the discussion.

Related Events
15
September 2025
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Securing America’s Technological Edge: A Conversation with USPTO Acting Director Coke Morgan Stewart
Featured Speakers:
Coke Morgan Stewart
Adam Mossoff
Getty Images
15
September 2025
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Securing America’s Technological Edge: A Conversation with USPTO Acting Director Coke Morgan Stewart

Hudson’s Urška Petrovčič will host US Patent and Trademark Office Acting Director Coke Stewart to discuss patent rights’ vital role in advancing American competitiveness.

Getty Images
Featured Speakers:
Coke Morgan Stewart
Adam Mossoff
16
September 2025
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Hybrid Warfare and CCP Infiltration: A Shared Challenge for US-Taiwan Security Cooperation
Featured Speakers:
Sang Pu
KJ Hsu
Moderator:
Miles Yu
Getty Images
16
September 2025
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Hybrid Warfare and CCP Infiltration: A Shared Challenge for US-Taiwan Security Cooperation

Join Hudson Institute’s China Center as Dr. Miles Yu hosts a panel of experts and policymakers on how the US and its partners can strengthen security cooperation in defense of Taiwan.

Getty Images
Featured Speakers:
Sang Pu
KJ Hsu
Moderator:
Miles Yu
17
September 2025
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Motwani Jadeja US-India Dialogue Series: US-India Relations and the Defense COMPACT
Featured Speakers:
Vikram J. Singh
Anthony Renzulli
Dr. Sameer Lalwani
Ingrid Henick
Moderator:
Aparna Pande
Getty images
17
September 2025
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Motwani Jadeja US-India Dialogue Series: US-India Relations and the Defense COMPACT

Dr. Aparna Pande will host an expert panel to discuss how Washington and New Delhi can increase security collaboration to bolster security both bilaterally and multilaterally in the broader Indo-Pacific region.

Getty images
Featured Speakers:
Vikram J. Singh
Anthony Renzulli
Dr. Sameer Lalwani
Ingrid Henick
Moderator:
Aparna Pande
17
September 2025
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Industry, Security, and Community: Senator David McCormick on the Nippon Steel–U.S. Steel Deal
Featured Speakers:
Senator David McCormick
Hiroshi Ono
Kevin Lewis
Stefani Pashman
Moderators:
Joel Scanlon
William Chou
(Courtesy of U.S. Steel)
17
September 2025
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Industry, Security, and Community: Senator David McCormick on the Nippon Steel–U.S. Steel Deal

Experts talk about why this deal supports American workers and communities, the major capital and technological investment, and how Nippon Steel’s investment advances American industrial and economic strength.

(Courtesy of U.S. Steel)
Featured Speakers:
Senator David McCormick
Hiroshi Ono
Kevin Lewis
Stefani Pashman
Moderators:
Joel Scanlon
William Chou