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Mehrunisa Qayyum is an International Development Consultant with an MPP from Georgetown University and a BA from University of Chicago. She comments on political economy of the MENA region via her blog www.pitapolicy.com and can be
found on Twitter @pitapolicy.
Originally posted August 2011
The Syrian government under both Hafiz and Bashar al-Asad has long pursued a strategy of intimidation and violence against political dissidents, while imposing legal and security structures that inhibit the growth of civil society. The resulting profound vacuum of civil society has made organizing for political change, both inside and outside of Syria, extremely difficult. Furthermore, this overall strategy of intimidation has led to “brain drain” as large numbers of highly educated Syrians flee to other countries.
