In recent days, Syria suffered the worst violence since the toppling of the regime of Bashar al-Assad last December. Deadly clashes erupted last week in former Assad strongholds between Syria’s new Islamist rulers and insurgents loyal to the former president, resulting in sectarian massacres and hundreds of deaths over four days, rehashing past tragedies of civil war in Syria. The interim Syrian government claimed the successful completion of the military operation, but what impact will these sectarian clashes have on the course of Syria’s transition and the perceived legitimacy of the country’s interim leaders?
This on-the-record virtual briefing featured MEI’s Charles Lister, Senior Fellow and head of the Institute’s Syria Initiative. Lister recently returned from a trip to Syria. The briefing also featured Syria native Hassan Hassan, the founder and Editor-in-Chief of New Lines Magazine and co-author of the New York Times bestseller ISIS: Inside the Army of Terror.
Our experts discussed the stability of Syria’s current leadership and its ability to rule; the impact on Syria's other minority communities; the future of the pro-Assad insurgency; foreign interference in Syria’s politics, including from Iran, Turkey, Russia and Israel; the current US policy toward the country; and the potential for Syria to again descend into civil strife.