Syria after Al Assad: where is it headed? Transition and post-war challenges

Casa Árabe is hosting a round table discussion on Syria with the participation of Rim Turkmani, a senior researcher at the London School of Economics, Azzam Al Kassir, an expert on security and political Islam, and Dima Moussa, a member of the Syrian Opposition Coalition.

Since the fall of Bashar al-Assad, Syria has been dealing with a complex political transition process marked by internal power struggles, the reconstruction of a war-torn state and the influence of multiple international role-players. The lack of centralized leadership has led to a struggle between opposition factions, Islamist groups and local militias, making the country’s stability more difficult. At the geopolitical level, powers such as Russia, Iran, Turkey and the United States have been seeking to secure their interests in the region, either by supporting armed groups or by intervening directly in the reconstruction process. At the same time, the Israeli offensive devastating Gaza has also affected southern Lebanon and the Golan Heights, a strategic Syrian territory under occupation since 1967 and annexed by Israel in 1981. In the meantime, the civilian population continues to suffer the consequences of years of conflict and economic sanctions, enduring a humanitarian crisis that requires a coordinated international efforts to ensure both security and access to basic services, all against a backdrop containing millions of internally displaced persons and refugees attempting to return to a country devastated by years of war. In addition to the state actors involved, there are Kurdish factions, Islamist groups and local resistance organizations playing key roles in shaping the new regime, which has turned Syria into a highly volatile geopolitical chessboard with a yet uncertain future.

The round table discussion will include participation by Rim Turkmani, a principal researcher at the London School of Economics (Legitimacy and Civility in the Arab World), Azzam Al Kassir, an expert on security and political Islam, and Dima Moussa, a member of the Syrian Opposition Coalition. This dialogue has been facilitated by the Arab Association for Constitutional Law (AACL) as part of the seminar which it is organizing in Madrid with the LSE. The event will be introduced by Karim Hauser, Casa Árabe’s Culture Coordinator.

Further information: https://en.casaarabe.es/eventos-arabes/show/syria-after-al-assad-where-is-it-headed-transition-and-post-war-challenges

Photo: Dimitriy Fomin