Since foreign of foreign-backed forces still occupy significant parts of the country, what does the dispersed battlefield mean for Syria's territorial integrity? What are Assad's political calculus and the prospects for reform in the reconstituted state? What are the tradeoffs, for the United States and others, of providing (or authorizing multilateral) reconstructive assistance? Join GSPIA, the Ford Institute for Human Security, and the Matthew B. Ridgway Center for this talk featuring Dr. Alexander Bick.
After completing a PhD in history at Princeton University, Dr. Bick joined the Obama administration. From 2012-14, he served on the Policy Planning Staff at the United States Department of State, advising Secretaries Clinton and Kerry on political transitions in the Middle East and North Africa. From 2014-16, he served as Director for Syria at the National Security Council, where he was responsible for coordinating U.S. policy and assistance programs in Syria and developing the strategy to defeat the Islamic State. In his new role as associate director and fellow for the Henry A. Kissinger Center for Global Affairs, Dr. Bick is helping to establish a center that aims to resurrect the study of history as a core component of preparation for public service in international affairs.