Creating new perspectives since 2009
Items by Zaki Kaf Al-Ghazal
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The SDF and the Assad regime: Parallels of self-inflicted collapse and cruelty
Is it possible for a state to develop, sustain economic growth, keep its citizens safe, and start to rebuild after many years of conflict when it does not fully control its own territory? This was the question facing Syria under Ahmed Al-Sharaa until recently, and whilst the state is still…
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Syria’s foreign policy a year after liberation: Hopes and achievements
Historically, Syria has always been considered a crossroads between the East and West, a place where Europe meets Asia, and a trading hub for centuries. As empires rose and fell, it withstood challenges, no more so than the last half a century of Assad family rule. As the first anniversary…
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Prospects of the new Syria rely on optimism and pragmatism
The line between success and failure in politics is often thin; there aren’t much nuances in some cases, and the building of a narrative which stays in the hearts and minds of citizens is essential. Building on this, assessing the early days of any new administration is challenging; these challenges…
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Syria’s 100 days of opportunities and obstacles after Assad
In politics, “the first 100 days” is generally considered to be a marker as to how well a politician has settled into office, how they’re getting on with advancing their agenda, and how much trouble might lie ahead. The first 100 days have passed since the Assad regime was deposed…
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Syria beyond the House of Assad: Reconstruction and challenges
It is a little over a month after the Al-Assad regime was finally deposed after 54 years of rule in Syria. The days after 8 December, when Bashar Al-Assad fled to Moscow, witnessed joy and celebration on the streets of Syrian cities and beyond, a joy unparalleled since the state’s…
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The end of the House of Assad: How, and why now?
One of the earliest slogans of the 2011 revolutionaries in Syria was, “The Syrian people will not be humiliated.” They were right. In the end, it was their President, Bashar Al-Assad, who fled from Syria in the middle of the night without even notifying his loyalists. He made a quick…
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In light of events in Gaza and Lebanon, has Assad finally exposed his irrelevance?
As we mark a year since the start of the Israeli genocide in Gaza, and the killing of at least 42,000 Palestinians by the Israeli occupation army, we should pause for reflection. This has been a year of horror, which shows no sign of ending. The people of Gaza should…
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It’s not too late for Erdogan to back away from normalisation with Assad
A quote from Christopher Nolan’s 2008 blockbuster The Dark Knight could apply to many a political career: “You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.” It is a warning, a shot across the bow, that encapsulates so well how, ultimately, hubris and…
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Revolutions don’t succeed overnight; 13 years on, Syria is no exception
As we pass the 13th anniversary of the Syrian Revolution, an uprising that was part of the broader Arab Spring movement that started in early 2011, feelings are bittersweet. It is clear that this revolution hasn’t produced the victory that the Syrian people were hopeful of in its early days.…
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The oppression of Gazans and Syrians – Two sides of the same coin
As we cross the 100-day anniversary of the war in Gaza, it is encouraging to see that the world is still deeply preoccupied with the crisis and the plight of its civilians. The recent news of the case that South Africa has brought to the International Court of Justice against…
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The chemical weapons attack on Ghouta was a ‘holocaust’, but 10 years on there’s no real change
As we approach this week’s 10th anniversary of the chemical weapons attack in Ghouta perpetrated by the Syrian regime of Bashar Al-Assad, it’s worth asking whether anything has changed. International inaction in the immediate aftermath of the attack – the first of its kind in the conflict at that point…
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The failure of Syrian refugees to resettle all starts with Bashar Al-Assad
History is full of stories of refugees fleeing conflict and devastation only to face untimely deaths, but as the world reflects on various wars and genocides, it seems that millions continue to turn a blind eye to the refugees’ situation. The recent news of the fishing vessel that sank off…
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Assad returns to the Arab League over a bloody red carpet
An old joke playing on words is that the League of Arab States — Jami’at Ad-Duwal Al-Arabiyya — is not really a league but a nursery for the Arabs. In Arabic, the word for league — jami’a — is the same as for university. The recent news that Syria has…
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Aid for Syria should not be politicised to push for the rehabilitation of Assad
Natural disasters are part of life on earth. Many can be predicted relatively accurately, so theoretically their impact should be able to be managed. These disasters become humanitarian catastrophes, however, due to systemic political failures such as those which afflict the people of Syria. After 12 years of conflict –…
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A glance at the Turkish FM’s recent statement on Syria
Politics is at times compared to a game with Machiavellian actors and rogue figures who are out only for themselves. A former British Prime Minister, Lord Palmerston once said: “We have no permanent allies, only permanent interests.” This is an adage many in international politics still follow, though it is…
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The massacres of Syrian civilians must not go unpunished
The recent exposure of another horrific massacre committed by forces loyal to the Syrian regime made the headlines momentarily before slipping from view. The massacre in Tadamon took place in 2013, when at least 288 civilians were killed, including seven women and twelve children. The infamous killing of 41 civilians,…
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The Ukrainian crisis – all roads lead through Damascus
As the situation in Ukraine reaches high-noon, and a Russian invasion seems imminent, it is worth taking stock and reflecting how we got here. A Russian incursion into Ukraine cannot be separated from Putin’s actions in Syria over the last decade or so. The two States, whilst not geographically, politically…
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When will the world wake up to the Russian occupation of Syria?
As the Russian occupation of Syria enters its seventh year and with the Syrian crisis no longer in the news, serious questions must be asked. Vladimir Putin’s intervention on behalf of his ally Bashar Al-Assad may have offered Al-Assad a short term victory, but moving forward, both lose out. At…
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Daraa marked the start of the Syrian uprising; will it also be the beginning of the end for Assad?
After ten long years, Syria is back in the news. Although this is likely to be fleeting, as the international community has long experienced conflict fatigue with regards to Syria, it is another opportunity to focus on the terrible situation there. In a world afflicted with the ongoing pandemic, it…
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What’s next after Assad’s election charade?
Elections are generally meant to be competitive affairs, with candidates and political parties vying for the public’s attention over the weeks and months prior to voting. Whilst not all elections are close run affairs, there should be a sense of competition, uncertainty even. When an election is, however, like a…
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A decade on in Syria’s war, Assad has no moral high ground to cling to
As the Syrian uprising approaches yet another anniversary, enough blood has been spilled to fill the country’s barren rivers. More than ten years on, almost a million people have lost their lives, millions more have been wounded and up to half of the pre-war population of 23 million have been…
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Has the UN simply failed in Syria, or is it complicit in the regime’s crimes?
As we approach the tenth anniversary of the Syrian uprising, the conflict rages on with no apparent end in sight. The role of the United Nations, the international organisation created to keep the peace and promote human rights in the world, has clearly been a dismal failure. Whilst no one…
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What direction will Biden take on Syria?
As Joe Biden is declared President-elect of the US, it is clear he has many matters to tackle. From containing coronavirus and managing the economic fall-out, to working to unite the country and begin to heal race relations after the spotlight on systemic racism earlier in the year, there is…
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7 years after the chemical attack in Syria, Assad has not been held to account
In the aftermath of the chemical attack in the Damascus province of Ghouta seven years ago, David Cameron, the former British Prime Minister remarked: “Our inaction in Syria shows we have not learned the lessons of the Holocaust” and “the lessons of not standing by”. The words he and others…