Dareen Khalifa Senior Analyst, Syria Istanbul, Turkey Please submit all media inquiries to media@crisisgroup.org or call +32 (0) 2 536 00 71 Crisis Group Role Dareen Khalifa is a Senior Analyst at the International Crisis Group working on security, conflict, politics, and governance in Syria. Professional Background Dareen has 13 years of experience working on the Middle East, with a particular focus on sub-state armed group dynamics, local governance, and civil society. She has worked on the Syria conflict in a number of roles since 2013, most recently with the Center for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD), regularly traveling to Iraq and Syria to engage with various civilian and armed actors on initiatives to mitigate conflict. Dareen has an MA in Human Rights and Public Policy from University College London. Area of Expertise Sub-state armed group dynamics Local governance Civil society in Syria and the Middle East Selected Publications In addition to publishing numerous research outputs and policy reports for Kings College London, she has also published for the Washington Post among other outlets. Languages Arabic English In The News 7 Oct 2019 [By deciding to withdraw its troops from North East Syria] the United States just threw away the last leverage it had. The New York Times Dareen Khalifa Senior Analyst, Syria 28 Sep 2019 Even if efforts to create a 'buffer zone' [in Northern Syria] succeed, the underlying source of tension will remain and with it, the potential for a Turkish military response to Ankara's perceived YPG threat. AFP Dareen Khalifa Senior Analyst, Syria 23 May 2019 Idlib is a bargaining chip at this point and it’s extremely difficult to anticipate what happens next. The Guardian Dareen Khalifa Senior Analyst, Syria Latest Updates Op-Ed / Middle East & North Africa 18 September 2019 Are There Alternatives to a Military Victory in Idlib? Last weekend, the presidents of Turkey, Iran and Russia met in Ankara to discuss, among other things, the latest developments in Syria amid Turkish concerns over the consequences of a Syrian government offensive in the last rebel enclave, Idlib. Originally published in Valdai