Who Will Syria Be Rebuilt For?
Although free from the Assad regime, Syrians still don't have enough say in plans for their country's reconstruction.
I have a new piece out this week for Century International, the Century Foundation’s center for international research, on the new Syrian government’s troubling approach so far to rebuilding a country in ruins:
Damascus’s battered fairgrounds, on the outskirts of the city, hosted a reconstruction fair this fall, billed as an international exhibition to rebuild the country. Like everything in Syria since the sudden fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December 2024, it had an optimistic tagline, promising an “economic breakthrough” where “the future of the new Syria is written.”
Yet the reconstruction plans emerging from Syria’s new government are actually more reminiscent of Syria’s past: developments announced by decree, opaque and undemocratic decision-making, and cronyism.
The new president, former rebel leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, has worked hard to hone messaging that emphasizes inclusion and radical cha…
