This panel aims to discuss possibilities for settlement in Syria and reappraise the role of regional and global powers, including Türkiye.
In its 13th year, the Syrian Civil War continues without a formal ceasefire and attempts at post-war settlement have proven futile. Ongoing localized clashes between regime forces and the opposition persist, with President Bashar al-Assad securing approximately 70% of Syria. Although some view al-Assad’s resilience as a pyrrhic victory that is supported by Russia and Iran, he has maintained relative control and normalized relations with several Arab states. Amid evolving regional dynamics, Türkiye's Syria policy also has undergone multiple shifts in the past decade. The longstanding impasse in Turkish-Syrian relations further complicates efforts to achieve a lasting settlement in the Syrian conflict.
In light of these developments, this panel addresses the following questions:
- In the context of peace settlement efforts, what is the current status and evolution of the Syrian Civil War, and who are the key players actively involved in conflict resolution?
- How has Türkiye’s Syria policy evolved since the onset of the Civil War, and what are the prospects for a normalization between Türkiye and Syria?
- What are the factors driving the rapprochement between the Arab states and Bashar al-Assad and what will be the implications of renewed relations for the Syrian conflict?
Speakers:
Rim Turkmani (@Rim_Turkmani) is Senior Policy Fellow at LSE Middle East Centre and LSE IDEAS. She is the Principal Investigator of the Legitimacy and Civicness in the Arab World research project funded by Carnegie Corporation of New York. Her research is centred around legitimate governance in the Middle East, local conflict and peace drivers and the role of civil society in conflict zones. She has produced wide -reaching research on the lack of democracy and persistent violent conflicts in the Arab World with focus on the Levant.
Soli Özel is a Senior Lecturer at Istanbul Kadir Has University and a member of the European Council on Foreign Relations, is a BA in Economics from Bennington College (1981) and an MA in International Relations from Johns Hopkins University SAIS (1983) graduate. In 2021-2022, he was a fellow at the Institute for Human Sciences in Vienna. Özel, an accomplished writer and commentator, contributes to publications like Deutsche Welle-Turkish, Politikyol, and GazeteDuvar TV. He co-authored "Elite Origins of Development and Democracy" with Michael T. Rock, published by Routledge in December 2023.
Selin Nasi (@selinnasi) is a Visiting Fellow at the European Institute of the London School of Economics and Ankara Policy Center's London representative, is a political scientist with a focus on Turkey's Israel policy post-Cold War. She holds a 2021 PhD from Boğaziçi University and has contributed to various media outlets, including Politikyol and Hurriyet Daily News. Her recent co-authored work, "How the Syrian War shifted the balance of power in Turkish-Israeli relations," is featured in the book "Israeli-Turkish Relations in Comparative Perspective" (2019).
Chair:
Michael Mason is Director of the Middle East Centre. At LSE, he is also Professor of Environmental Geography in the Department of Geography and Environment and an Associate of the Grantham Research Institute for Climate Change and the Environment. He is interested in ecological politics and governance as applied to questions of accountability, security and sovereignty. This research addresses both global environmental politics and regional environmental change in Western Asia/the Middle East.
More about this event
Contemporary Turkish Studies focuses on the politics and economy of Turkey and its relations with the rest of Europe. The programme aims to promote a deeper understanding of contemporary Turkey through interdisciplinary and critical research, teaching and related public activities.
The LSE Middle East Centre (@LSEMiddleEast) provides a central hub for the wide range of research on the Middle East and North Africa carried out at LSE.
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