On 25 October 2016, the Centre for Political and Foreign Affairs (CPFA) in Paris hosted a talk by James Rubin, former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State, on Syria, the Middle East, and U.S. foreign policy. The event, moderated by Renaud Girard, senior reporter at Le Figaro, highlighted perspectives on both American strategy and regional challenges.

Rubin argued that a negotiated settlement to the Syrian conflict remained possible if the international community, particularly the United States and its allies, increased pressure on all sides to compromise. He stressed the importance of U.S. leadership in shaping outcomes in the Middle East, suggesting that Washington retained the capacity to influence both regional dynamics and the course of the Syrian war. He also maintained that closer cooperation with European and regional partners would be necessary to contain instability.

The discussion reflected Rubin’s conviction that American engagement was indispensable, both for addressing the Syrian crisis and for managing wider challenges in the Middle East. His remarks illustrated the prevailing U.S. policy thinking of the period, which combined criticism of the Assad regime with calls for continued Western involvement but stopped short of advocating direct intervention.