Navigating the Syrian Crisis: Challenges and Opportunities for Peace and Reconstruction
Bush House, Strand Campus, London

As Syria emerges from over a decade of conflict and half a century of rule of the Assad dynasty, its reconstruction and reintegration into regional and global frameworks pose complex opportunities and challenges. This roundtable adopts a holistic approach, bringing together experts to explore key themes shaping Syria's post-Assad trajectory. The discussion will begin by examining the broader implications of regime change in Syria, including shifting regional dynamics and their consequences for Syria and the wider Middle East. Experts will analyse how these changes might influence Syria's relationships with neighbouring countries and global powers, potentially reshaping alliances and power dynamics in the region.
Central to the reconstruction effort is the political economy of rebuilding Syria. The roundtable will delve into opportunities for economic recovery while addressing the challenges of potential corruption, the impact of international sanctions, and strategies for equitable development. This conversation will be linked to the massive task of urban reconstruction, as Syria faces the daunting challenge of rebuilding its devastated cities and infrastructure, a process estimated to cost hundreds of billions of dollars.
Human rights will be a crucial focus of the discussion. The roundtable will explore mechanisms to address past abuses, promote accountability, and protect the rights of all Syrians in the post-Assad era.
The roundtable will address the needs of marginalised groups and the future of Syrian identity. This conversation will naturally lead to a discussion on the prospects and challenges for the return and reintegration of millions of displaced Syrians, a process that must be handled with sensitivity and following international human rights standards.
The roundtable will also discuss strategies for rebuilding Syria’s education system, which we see as vital for long-term development and social cohesion. We also believe that ensuring equal access and opportunities for all segments of society after half a century of regime capture is essential.
Finally, the critical task of defence sector reform will be explored, focusing on pathways to establish a professional, inclusive, and accountable military and police structure. This reform is crucial not only for maintaining stability but also for ensuring that human rights are respected and protected by state institutions.
SPEAKERS
Samir Aita
Samir is President of the Cercle des Economistes Arabes. Former Editor in Chief and General Manager of Le Monde diplomatique éditions arabes. Professor of political economy at the University of Paris Dauphine, Paris I Sorbonne and Saint Joseph, Beirut. Consultant in Economy, finance, labour and urban planning.
Born in Damas (Syria) in 1954; Studied at Ecole Polytechnique and Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées; Postgraduate from the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, the Institut National des Sciences et Techniques Nucléaires and HEC Executive Management (CPA-HEC).
Started his career at the Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique and its subsidiaries. Then moved to the private sector, where here managed a division in a high-technology company. In 1994, he joined an Arab group, active in oil & gas, as a special advisor to the Chairman. In parallel, he was appointed Chairman and CEO of “Framasoft” for its reform and privatization. In 1999, he created a consulting company in economy, finance and information technologies: A Concept. For two years, he was the special advisor to the Chairman and CEO of SGBL bank in Beirut, then technical director at the ERF, the “Economic Research Forum” in Cairo. From 2005 to 2013, he was Editor in Chief and General Manager of Le Monde diplomatique éditions arabes. He is presently a senior consultant with UN agencies (UNHabitat, UNDP, ESCWA) and other international organizations. He is consulting for economy, political economy, decentralization, public finance, urbanization and labour market issues in different countries, including Iraq, Libya and Syria.
Dr Juline Beaujouan (Durham)
Juline Beaujouan is a passionate researcher and educator with transdisciplinary experience in the field of Peace and Conflict Studies and a keen interest in collaborative and responsible research practices. She is currently a Post-doctoral Research Fellow with PeaceRep, based at the University of Edinburgh. Juline combines academic expertise with evidence-based policymaking and community inclusion and engagement, which she developed over eight years of field experience across Europe and the Middle East and North Africa. She uses her permanent engagement with the ground to provide contextual and needs-based analysis that informs European foreign affairs and public diplomacy policy priorities. She also delivers tailored training to governmental and intergovernmental institutions on geopolitical and humanitarian issues in the Middle East, particularly in Iraq and Syria.
Ribal Azzin
Ribal is a Program Development Co-ordinator at Olive Branch, specialising in strengthening youth participation in public affairs and fostering inclusive decision-making processes. His work focuses on engaging young leaders, facilitating dialogue with key stakeholders, and advancing policy recommendations to address the challenges faced by Syrian youth. Ribal is also a Chevening Scholar, currently pursuing a master’s degree in development policy and politics at the University of Birmingham.
Haian Dukhan
Haian is a Lecturer in Politics and International Relations at Teesside University and a Fellow at the Centre for Syrian Studies, University of St Andrews. He is the author of State and Tribes in Syria: Informal Alliances and Conflict Patterns (Routledge, 2019) and co-editor of Spoils of War in the Arab East: Reconditioning Society and Polity in Conflict (Bloomsbury, 2024). His research focuses on the international relations of the Middle East, with a particular emphasis on the role of non-state actors in armed conflicts. His work has appeared in the International Journal of Middle East Studies, Nations and Nationalism, Small Wars and Insurgency, and others. He has also authored multiple policy reports for USAID, the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, the Middle East Institute, and others on issues related to sectarianism, extremism, and forced migration. Previously, he taught politics and international relations at the universities of Leicester, Edinburgh, and Queen Mary University of London, and held research positions at the Central European University in Austria and Roskilde University in Denmark.
Dr Emel Akcali (KCL)
Emel Akçalı is a Senior Lecturer in International Relations at the Defence Studies Department, King's College London. She teaches and researches about environmental geopolitics, critical security and geopolitical studies, gender, state and society and conflict in the Middle East and North Africa, and global International Relations. Her research thus far has been funded by the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), British Institute in Ankara, Central European University (CEU), the Višegrad Fund, Fondation de Robert Schuman in Paris and she has been awarded CEU Institute of Advanced Study and Aix-Marseille University Institute of Advanced Study resident fellowships for world class foreign researchers in 2013 and 2016. She is the author of Chypre: Un enjeu geopolitique actuel (Cyprus, a contemporary geopolitical stake) published by l’Harmattan in Paris, in 2009 and she has a forthcoming book on Turkey Going Green published by Edinburgh University Press.
Dr Amjed Rasheed (KCL)
Amjed is currently working as a Lecturer in Defence Studies (Assistant Professor) in the Defence Studies Department. He earned his PhD from Durham University's School of Government and International Affairs in 2017, focusing on the role of leaders in shaping foreign policy, with a specific emphasis on Iraq and Syria.
Before his tenure at King's College, Amjed held academic positions at Tübingen University's Institute of Political Science from 2020 to 2021 and at Lancaster University’s Department of Politics, Philosophy, and Religion from 2022 to 2023. In addition, he served as the Hillary Rodham Clinton Fellow at Queen’s University Belfast's School of History, Anthropology, Philosophy, and Politics from 2022 to 2023.
Dr Ammar Azzouz
Ammar Azzouz is a British Academy Research Fellow at the School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford. He studied architecture in Homs, Syria, before moving to the UK to complete his PhD. Azzouz is the author of Domicide: Architecture, War and the Destruction of Home in Syria, published by Bloomsbury in 2023, with a foreword by Lyse Doucet, the BBC’s Chief International Correspondent. He has written for a wide range of platforms including the New York Times, the Guardian, and the New Statesman.
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