The Egmont Institute  & Ghent University are pleased to invite you to the workshop “The Governance and Geopolitics of Syria”.

The workshop aims to examine the evolving political landscape, inside and around Syria, following the fall of the Assad regime on 8 December 2024.

We will focus first on the transition and its profound implications for Syria’s political and societal structures. The seminar will address the transition of HTS from a militia to a transitional government under the leadership of Ahmad Al-Sharaa. Transitional justice will also be a central theme, looking in particular into the search for the disappeared.

Next we will explore the geopolitical dimension, assessing the potential end of sanctions and renewed international engagement, but also the involvement of, and tensions with, regional powers such as Iran, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey. Finally, we will focus on the scope of action for the US and the EU.

Programme

 9.30-10.45 Governance

Chair: Brigitte Herremans, UGent

• Background to the fall of the regime and main challenges for the transitional government, Razan Bghol, Syrian civil society expert (10 min).
• Future perspectives for transitional justice and the prioritisation of the search for the disappeared, Lina Ghoutouk, researcher and human rights specialist (10 min).

11.00-12.15 Geopolitics

Chair: Bernard Siman, Egmont

• The quest for international legitimacy and challenges, Joseph Daher, postdoctoral researcher at MENARG, UGent (10 min).
• Geopolitical context: the roles of key regional actors, Thomas Pierret, senior researcher at the University of Aix-Marseille, CNRS.

(Photo credit: wikimedia commons)