An analysis of the Syrian Ministry of Endowments' plan to reclaim historic waqf properties using Ottoman archives. Explore why reopening century-old title deeds acts as a tax on property confidence, undermining post-conflict reconstruction and urban recovery.
On 21 April 2026 the Damascus Governorate and the Ministry of Tourism launched "Qasyoun Journey", a tourism and heritage megaproject on Mount Qasyoun, prepared by "a team of specialised designers" with no open tender, no published brief, no costing and no impact studies. It is the second time the new Syrian authorities have commissioned a symbolic national asset behind closed doors and framed it as a national gift. This piece tests the official claims, asks whether the public or the investors are being misled, and sets out what a serious course correction would look like.
When Sednaya prison opened in December 2024 it forced an old question into the open: how does a state become a prison, and how do ordinary people end up running it? Drawing on Milgram's obedience studies, Zimbardo's Stanford prison experiment and UN and Amnesty documentation of systematic torture in Syria, this essay argues that the answer is not better leaders but better institutions. Syria's real safeguard against another Sednaya is constitutional: separated powers, independent oversight and accountability written into the state itself.
An Energy-as-a-Service Framework for Post-Conflict Syria Executive Summary This document presents a strategic proposal for utility-led distributed energy storage (DES) in post-conflict Syria, structured as an Energy-as-a-Service (EaaS) framework. It draws on international evidence from pioneering programmes in the United States, Australia, Lebanon, and other markets, extracting both positive models and cautionary lessons to inform
Military emissions were exempted at Kyoto and made voluntary at Paris, which leaves roughly 5.5 per cent of global emissions, some 2,750 MtCO2e a year, off the world's climate books. Reconstructed from expenditure data, that footprint would rank as the fourth-largest emitter on Earth, ahead of Russia and larger than aviation and shipping combined. This piece reads the full ledger: operations, the industrial supply chain, reconstruction, lost carbon sinks and the capital diverted from climate finance.
Syria’s high-voltage grid hangs on a single 400 kV north-south spine, and one break in the middle splits the country in two. An interactive map built from World Bank geospatial data shows where the network is strong, where it is radial and fragile, and why reconstruction must not rebuild the vulnerability pylon for pylon.
Syria’s Fiscal Dilemma Between Monetary Reform and Humanitarian Reconstruction (2025-2026) The Macro-Humanitarian Nexus The abrupt collapse of the former regime in December 2024 served as the primary catalyst for a fundamental restructuring of Syria’s institutional and humanitarian landscape (House of Commons Library, 2026). Under the transitional administration of President Ahmad al-Sharaa, the state has entered
Syria’s Reconstruction: A Blueprint for the Many, Not the Few For generations, Ahmad’s family tended their olive grove on a sun-drenched hill in Syria. The trees were their inheritance and their future, a symbol of peace and permanence. Then the war came and turned it all to ash. Today, Ahmad’s dream isn’t just to replant
In the fragile yet hopeful process of rebuilding a nation, symbols carry immense weight. The recent unveiling of Syria's new visual identity and the plans to issue a new currency represent defining moments. Yet, while these new designs were presented as a symbol of unity, the transitional government has remained silent on a fundamental question: how was the decision actually made?
Order your copy What If We Get It Right? Reimagining a Nation’s Future For more than a decade, the story of my homeland, Syria, has been a relentless accounting of loss. It has been defined by everything that went wrong: the humanitarian catastrophe, the failed state, the unsolvable problem. The global narrative has been one
The ‘Umayyad Comeback’ in Post-Assad Syria Introduction The sudden collapse of the Assad regime in December 2024 shocked the world. After 50 years of rule and a brutal 13-year civil war, the government of Bashar al-Assad fell with surprising speed. Into the resulting power vacuum stepped Ahmed al-Sharaa, the de facto leader of the new
Syria's reconstruction is not a conventional post-conflict challenge. It is a "hyper-complex" crisis where both scenarios overlay a landscape of fragmented sovereignty, highly politicised legislation, and intense geopolitical rivalry. This report argues that sustainable and equitable reconstruction depends on resolving fundamental contradictions between the exclusionary nature of the current legal framework, political imperatives, and international conditions.
Syria’s Crossroads: A Vision for the Future vs. a Shadowy Reality A recent Reuters report, Syria is secretly reshaping its economy. The president’s brother is in charge, raises serious concerns about the country’s economic future after the conflict. The report claims a secret “shadow committee,” led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s older brother, Hazem al-Sharaa, is managing
Within the cultural fabric of Syria and the wider Levant, a highly eloquent proverb condenses a profound political and social theory: "The stairs are washed from the top down." This report aims to deconstruct this dilemma through an in-depth analysis of the proverb's logic, a critical review of different theoretical models of state reform, and an examination of these models in light of concrete historical experiences.
On 8 December 2024, the Assad family regime collapsed in Syria. This report presents a central hypothesis: the collapse does not merely create a power vacuum but resurrects suppressed social structures and primary identities, tribal, sectarian, and regional, that were kept dormant under an iron security grip but never truly disappeared.
Thankfully, the immediate threat of the recent wildfires has subsided. Now, as the smoke clears, the true challenges facing our nation are laid bare. The government's responsibilities must shift from immediate crisis management to the complex, long-term task of recovery and building resilience.
Executive Summary Syria faces a devastating “polycrisis.” The growing impacts of climate change are deeply connected to years of poor governance, a brutal conflict lasting over a decade, and a severe economic collapse. This report argues these are not separate problems. Instead, they are part of a single, widespread failure. Environmental damage has both driven
Syria's building codes, including the Syrian Arab Code for seismic design, are dated and, far more fatally, unenforced, and the 2023 earthquakes showed what that gap costs. A comparison with Jordan, Israel, the UAE, Cyprus, Greece, Spain, Italy and the UK shows the fix is institutional: an independent code authority, regular updates and real enforcement, not better paper.
Syrian public life has been compressed into forced binaries: with the government or against it, loyalist or traitor, believer or infidel. This essay argues for the position the binary cannot process, supporting the state where it serves the nation and condemning its documented abuses. Holding the government accountable is not betrayal; it is citizenship.
Executive Summary The new government in post-Assad Syria faces a crucial moment. Instead of acting like a mature government, a worrying pattern has appeared. Their approach to rule is reactive, almost childish, like a brutal militia rather than a proper state. This “eye for an eye” thinking, marked by quick reactions and using force, is
The Assad state carried “ghost employees” for decades, and dismantling that payroll is a genuine and urgent reform. It is also a decision about who eats next month, taken by a government with little fiscal room and no reliable count of the people it is about to release. This argues for sequencing the social safety net ahead of the layoffs, and treats the missing data as the central problem rather than a footnote.
Brené Brown calls the habit of ranking pain comparative suffering: the belief that empathy is scarce and must be rationed. In Syria that private habit has scaled into a public mechanism, a hierarchy of suffering in which communities compete for aid, attention and recognition. Dismantling it is a precondition for healing and reconciliation.
How Shared Leadership Can Rebuild Syria The tragic sinking of the cargo ship El Faro in 2015 offers a powerful warning. This disaster, caused by rigid top-down leadership, extends far beyond the maritime world. In his book “Leadership is Language,” David Marquet uses this incident to show how well-meaning leaders, if they stick to traditional
At last, the Assad regime has fallen after a long and painful era. While this historic event carries profound hope for a new Syria, it also stirs complex and difficult emotions for many of us. What many of us are experiencing is the fear of losing the victim role.
The Ecstasy is Over, Reality Kicks In: Rebuilding Syria Starts With You Three weeks have passed since the fall of the Assad regime. This was a moment of great triumph and relief for many. But as the celebrations end, we must face a clear truth: the hard work of rebuilding our homeland begins now. And
This research presents a simplified analysis method aimed at reducing energy demand in Syrian residential buildings by implementing highly cost-effective and structurally feasible passive design solutions. An optimised envelope specification is recommended based on thermal simulation across different building materials, glazing types, and climatic zones.
An annual government budget is not merely a collection of financial estimates; it is a direct statement of a state's priorities. For countries emerging from conflict, such as Syria, the budget becomes the absolute cornerstone of reconstruction efforts. This analysis explores the lessons Syria can draw from the UK and Rwanda.
What happened last week was a monumental event and a defining moment in Syria's history. It has given us profound hope for a better future. However, we must recognise that we have a long and challenging road ahead to build a stable and secure country.
A Moment of Freedom, a Lifetime of Sacrifice Yesterday, we saw a moment of history. It was a moment people in Syria have waited for over half a century. Fifty-three years of oppression, torture, and dehumanisation may finally be ending. Yet, I am still in disbelief. I cannot fully grasp what has happened in the