BUILDING THE POST-ASSAD SYRIA: How to Ensure the Process Reflects the Will of the People

In a country long divided, Syrians now face the daunting task of rebuilding their state after the fall of the Assad regime. As various domestic and foreign actors vie for control, the list of potential dangers will grow, from power vacuums to minority rights violations and terrorist violence. In a nation full of diverse voices, it is vital to ensure that both of these processes—meeting national security challenges while ushering in a viable political transition—reflect the will of the Syrian people. To discuss these issues, The Washington Institute is pleased to announce a virtual Policy Forum with Ibrahim Al-Assil, Farouq Habib (Abu Fares), Rafif Jouejati, and Mahmoud Meslat, to be moderated by Andrew Tabler, the Institute’s Martin J. Gross Senior Fellow. Ibrahim Al-Assil is an adjunct professor at George Washington University and a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, with extensive expertise in Syrian civil society groups. Farouq Habib (Abu Fares) is deputy general manager of the White Helmets humanitarian organization and has been instrumental in the formation and support of many Syrian grassroots initiatives. Rafif Jouejati is a board member of Nonviolence International, cofounder and director of the Foundation to Restore Equality and Education in Syria (FREE Syria), and principal architect of the Syrian Freedom Charter project. Mahmoud Meslat is co-chair of the Syrian Democratic Council and a lecturer on Middle Eastern Studies at Oberlin College.