Dr. Samir Altaqi
Syrian political thinker and geopolitical analyst, currently a Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East Programs. He is the Founder and Director of the Orient Research Center–DC (ORC-DC) and a Partner at Insight Consulting Group, specializing in geopolitical risk, media strategy, and decision support.
Dr. Altaqi is a Distinguished Scholar with Queen’s College’s Ibrahim Middle East Leadership and Dialogue Program, and a weekly columnist for Annahar Al-Arabi and Asharq Al-Awsat. His previous leadership roles include heading the Orient Research Centre in Dubai and founding the Orient Centre for International Studies (OCIS) in Damascus, where he led Track-II diplomacy initiatives and advised regional peace efforts.
He also served as a member of the Syrian Parliament (1994–1998), contributing to foreign affairs policy and international dialogue.
Do Syrians Dare to Embrace Permanent Neutrality?
Could permanent neutrality help Syrians reclaim their country? Drawing on Austria and Switzerland, Dr. Samir Altaqi argues that lasting sovereignty begins with domestic reconciliation and requires a regional settlement that makes a stable Syria more valuable than a contested one.
The Jihadist Risk Inside the Syrian State
Syria faces a growing internal security risk as jihadist networks integrate into state structures, raising concerns over stability and future counterterrorism efforts.