• Middle East/Southwest Asia

Mona Yacoubian joined the Stimson Center in November 2011. Her work focuses on the Arab Uprisings, with a particular concentration on Syria. Ms. Yacoubian directs "Pathways to Progress: Peace, Prosperity and Change in the Middle East," a joint initiative with the George C. Marshall Foundation that explores the dynamics propelling the Arab revolts and seeks innovative policy solutions that will ensure that the region embarks on a path towards peace and prosperity. Ms. Yacoubian also co-directs the Stimson-US Institute of Peace Lebanon Working Group. She previously served as a Special Advisor and Senior Program Officer on the Middle East at the US Institute of Peace, where her work focused on Lebanon and Syria as well as broader issues related to democratization in the Arab world. Ms.Yacoubian has worked as a consultant on the Middle East for several years. From 1990-1997, she served as the North Africa analyst at the US Department of State.

Ms. Yacoubian is a frequent commentator on the Arab world and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. She was a Fulbright Scholar in Syria (1985-86) and held an International Affairs Fellowship with the Council on Foreign Relations. Ms. Yacoubian has an MPA from Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government and a BA from Duke University.

Selected Publications

• "Interview | Syria's Continuing Civil War," March 7, 2013, Council on Foreign Relations
• "Sustaining the Spring: Economic Challenges, Environmental Risks, and Green Growth,"
  February 2013, Stimson Center
• "Roundtable: Arming the Syrian Rebels," February 21, 2013, Foreign Policy
• "Spotlight | It's What Happens After The Elections That Really Matters,"
  February 1, 2012, Stimson Center
• "Interview | Developments in Syria," December 9, 2012, CSPAN's Washington Journal
• "Spotlight | Reinvigorate American Soft Power To Shape Change In The Arab World,"
  December 10, 2012, Stimson Center
• "Shifting the paradigm in Syria," October 12, 2012 Foreign Policy
• "Engagement, not withdrawal, is needed in Arab World," September 21, 2012 in The Hill
• "Arab Spring Must Also Weather Environmental Threats," July 30, 2012, Al Monitor
• "Syria Slides into the Abyss," July 23, 2012, The Monkey Cage
  
• "Harnessing Innovation for Economic Growth in the Arab World," July 6, 2012, Stimson Center
• "International Conference Could Be Crucial," June 25, 2012, New York Times
• "Spotlight | Crisis in Syria Nears Breaking Point," June 18, 2012, Stimson Center
• "A Syrian Turning Point for Russia?," May 29, 2012, Council on Foreign Relation
• "Syria's Last Chance for Peace," May 1, 2012, Al Monitor
• "Make Russia Part of the Solution," March 30, 2012, Room for Debate, New York Times
• "The Road to Syria's Salvation Runs Through Moscow,"
  March 1, 2012, Middle East Channel, Foreign Policy
• "Is Egypt Heading Off the Rails?" February 23, 2012, Stimson Center
• "Middle East 'Marshall Plan' Will Sustain Arab Spring," January 11, 2012, The Hill
• "Syria and the New Iraq: Between Rivalry and Rapprochement," in Iraq, Its Neighbors and the United States: Competition, Crisis, and the Reordering of Power, edited by Henri Barkey, Scott Lasensky, and Phebe Marr (United States Institute of Peace, 2011)
• "Hezbollah After Assad," December 1, 2011, Foreign Affairs
• "Regional Dynamics of the Syrian Uprising: The Impact on Lebanon and Hezbollah," (Peace Brief) October 2011, U.S. Institute of Peace
• "Saving Syria from Civil War," October 5, 2011, Middle East Channel, Foreign Policy
• "Non-Governmental Organizations," in Seismic Shift: Understanding Change in the Middle East, May 2011, Stimson Center
• "Even If Bashar Wins, He Has Already Lost," May 3, 2011, Middle East Channel, Foreign Policy
• "Impact of the Arab Uprisings," April 18, 2011, U. S. Institute of Peace
• "Lebanon's Unstable Equilibrium," November 2009, U.S. Institute of Peace
• "Bridging the Divide: U.S. Efforts to Engage the Muslim World," Middle East Journal, Summer 2009 (Subscription required to access full article)
•  Dealing with Damascus: Seeking a Greater Return on U.S.-Syrian Relations, Council Special Report No. 33, June 2008
• "Building Momentum for Reform: The Islamist-Secular Alliance in Yemen," in The Challenge of Islamists for EU and US Policies: Conflict, Stability and Reform, SWP and USIP, November 2007 (Link to complete publication)
• "Rethinking the War on Terror: New Approaches to Conflict Prevention and Management in the Post-9/11 World," in Leashing the Dogs of War: Conflict Management in a Divided World, USIP Press, 2007
• "Engaging Islamists and Promoting Democracy: A Preliminary Assessment," (U.S. Institute of Peace, 2007)
• "Promoting Middle East Democracy II: Arab Initiatives," (U.S. Institute of Peace, 2005)

Multimedia

• "Video| US Policy Toward Syria," March 10, 2013, CSPAN's Washington Journal
• "Video| "What is in store for a post-Assad Syria," " December 18, 2012, Center for National Policy
• "Video| An Update on Developments in Syria," December 9, 2012, on C-SPAN's Washington Journal 
• "Video| US Policymaking Considerations Regarding Regional Geopolitical Dynamics of Syria," October 25, 2012, National Council on US-Arab Relations
• "Turkey and the Regional Dynamics of the Syrian Crisis," September 27, 2012, Middle East Institute
• "KQED Radio's Public Affairs Program Forum," September 17, 2012, Forum with Michael Krasny KQED Radio (NPR affiliate)
• "The Continuing Crisis in Syria," September 14, 2012, on Encounter, a VOA news radio program
• "Video | In Syria, 'Whac-A-Mole' Revolution Turns Increasingly Bloody," June 11,2012, on PBS NewsHour
• "Video | An Update on the Situation in Syria," June 3, 2012, on  C-SPAN's Washington Journal
• "Podcast | Syria Update: Religion and Rebellion," April 17, 2012,
• "The Cost of Syria's Crackdown," January 15, 2012, Inside Syria (Al Jazeera)
• "KPFK Interview on Ongoing Political Instability Inside Syria," December 23, 2011, KPFK 90.7 FM (Los Angeles, California)
• "Escalating Violence in Syria," August 17, 2011, Diane Rehm Show (NPR affiliate WAMU 88.5 FM, Washington, DC)
• "Viewpoint with James Zogby," June 23, 2011, Arab American Institute
• "Life Is Complicated in Lebanon," June 18, 2011, Bloggingheads.tv
• "The Crisis in Yemen and Syria," June 14, 2011, Radio Times with Marty Moss-Coane (NPR affiliate WHYY 90.9 FM, Philadelphia, PA)
• "A New Day in the Middle East?," February 2, 2011, Bloggingheads.tv
• "Lebanon's Political Crisis," January 26, 2011, Kojo Nnamdi Show (NPR affiliate WAMU 88.5 FM, Washington, DC)
• "Lebanon and Syria: The Challenge of an Evolving Relationship," 2010, Middle East Institute
• "Security and Political Reform in the Greater Middle East," January 8, 2009, U.S. Institute of Peace
• "Democracy Building and Consensus in Lebanon," July 9, 2009, Kojo Nnamdi Show (NPR affiliate WAMU 88.5 FM, Washington, DC)
• "Dealing with Damascus: Seeking a Greater Return on U.S.-Syrian Relations," February 5, 2009, Council on Foreign Relations Podcast