Charles Lister is a British-American national security and Middle East analyst and author renowned for his expertise on Syrian politics, opposition groups, counter-extremism strategies, rebel dynamics, counterterrorism, and jihadist organizations. He currently serves as Director of the Program on Syria and Countering Terrorism & Extremism at the Middle East Institute (MEI) in Washington, D.C., where he is a Senior Fellow specializing in Syria, counterterrorism, and jihadist groups including al-Qaeda affiliates and ISIS. His work focuses on the dynamics of rebel factions, jihadist organizations, U.S. policy implications in the Syrian civil war, and the complexities of proxy conflicts, deradicalization, and stabilization efforts. Lister has conducted extensive field research and Track II diplomacy, managing several years of face-to-face engagement with the leadership of over 100 Syrian armed opposition groups. In 2022, he launched the 'Resolving the Detainee Crisis Initiative,' a multinational effort collaborating with over 30 governments to address the post-ISIS detainee challenge in northeastern Syria. He has been a key voice in analyzing the rise of extremist groups, providing nuanced insights into their ideologies, structures, and interactions with other regional actors, and has publicly clashed with analyst Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi over interpretations of jihadist communications and affiliations. His research has influenced policymakers, and he frequently contributes to outlets such as Foreign Affairs, The Atlantic, and BBC, while serving as a prominent media commentator on the Levant and global jihadist movements sought by political, military, and intelligence leadership in the United States and Europe. Lister is the author of influential books including 'The Syrian Jihad: Al-Qaeda, the Islamic State and the Global Jihad' (Oxford University Press, 2015), 'The Islamic State: A Brief Introduction' (Brookings Institution Press, 2015), and others on regional security, based on extensive fieldwork and interviews. Prior to MEI, he was a Fellow at the Brookings Institution's Doha Center, head of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) desk at IHS Jane’s Terrorism and Insurgency Center in London, and held positions with the Quilliam Foundation and as a consultant for governments on counterterrorism. He has also been a visiting fellow at the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation (ICSR), focusing on Syrian insurgency dynamics. He has testified before the U.S. Congress on Syrian issues and advocates engagement with moderate opposition elements. Based in the U.S., he continues to engage in public discourse on Middle East policy amid ongoing regional instability, emphasizing the importance of understanding local dynamics to inform effective counter-ISIS efforts.