Charles Lister

Charles Lister is a senior fellow and director of the Syria and Counterterrorism and Extremism programs at the Middle East Institute.

Follow Charles Lister:
On Twitter
Articles by Charles Lister
A Syrian woman walks with a boy past a banner showing Russian President Vladimir Putin shaking hands with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad at the Abu al-Zuhur checkpoint in Idlib province, Syria, on June 1, 2018.
A Syrian woman walks with a boy past a banner showing Russian President Vladimir Putin shaking hands with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad at the Abu al-Zuhur checkpoint in Idlib province, Syria, on June 1, 2018.

Putin’s War Killed Syria Diplomacy
Argument |
Charles Lister
A smiling Bashar al-Assad faces a crowd of journalists with microphones.
A smiling Bashar al-Assad faces a crowd of journalists with microphones.

Biden’s Inaction on Syria Risks Normalizing Assad—and His Crimes
Argument |
Charles Lister
Islamic fighters from the al-Qaida group in the Levant, Al-Nusra Front, wave their movement's flag as they parade at the Yarmuk Palestinian refugee camp, south of Damascus, to denounce Israels military offensive on the Gaza Strip, on July 28, 2014.
Islamic fighters from the al-Qaida group in the Levant, Al-Nusra Front, wave their movement's flag as they parade at the Yarmuk Palestinian refugee camp, south of Damascus, to denounce Israels military offensive on the Gaza Strip, on July 28, 2014.

Al Qaeda Is Ready to Attack You Again
Argument |
Colin P. Clarke, Charles Lister
Syrian youths walk past a billboard showing a picture of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad wearing sunglasses while dressed in a Field Marshal's camouflage fatigues, on display in the centre of the capital Damascus on July 9, 2018, with a caption below reading in Arabic: "If the country's dust speaks, it will say Bashar al-Assad."
Syrian youths walk past a billboard showing a picture of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad wearing sunglasses while dressed in a Field Marshal's camouflage fatigues, on display in the centre of the capital Damascus on July 9, 2018, with a caption below reading in Arabic: "If the country's dust speaks, it will say Bashar al-Assad."

Assad Hasn’t Won Anything
Argument |
Charles Lister
Fighters from Al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate Al-Nusra Front drive in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo flying Islamist flags as they head to a frontline, on May 26, 2015. Once Syria's economic powerhouse, Aleppo has been divided between government control in the city's west and rebel control in the east since shortly after fighting there began in mid-2012. AFP PHOTO / AMC / FADI AL-HALABI (Photo credit should read Fadi al-Halabi/AFP/Getty Images)
Fighters from Al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate Al-Nusra Front drive in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo flying Islamist flags as they head to a frontline, on May 26, 2015. Once Syria's economic powerhouse, Aleppo has been divided between government control in the city's west and rebel control in the east since shortly after fighting there began in mid-2012. AFP PHOTO / AMC / FADI AL-HALABI (Photo credit should read Fadi al-Halabi/AFP/Getty Images)

Al Qaeda Is Starting to Swallow the Syrian Opposition
Argument |
Charles Lister
Load more by Charles Lister | Return to staff list
Latest

Why Has Erdogan Ramped Up Turkey’s Clash With the PKK?

What Does a Cryptocurrency Crash Portend for the Economy?

How Chile’s Constitutional Overhaul Emboldened the Right

Is Biden Missing a Chance to Engage China?

Blasting Israeli Settlement Construction Will Get Biden Nowhere
See All Stories

Trending

  1. 1
    Is Biden Missing a Chance to Engage China?
  2. 2
    An Israeli-Palestinian Confederation Is the Best Path to Peace
  3. 3
    Why Has Erdogan Ramped Up Turkey’s Clash With the PKK?
  4. 4
    In Sri Lanka, Organic Farming Went Catastrophically Wrong
  5. 5
    An International Relations Theory Guide to the War in Ukraine