Can Syria ever be united?
Recent violence has exposed enduring divisions
An episode of the The Global Story podcast, hosted by BBC World Service, titled "Can Syria ever be united?" was published on March 11, 2025 and runs 26 minutes.
March 11, 2025 ·26m · The Global Story
Summary
When Syria's Bashar al-Assad was toppled in a lightning offensive in December, his successor Ahmed al-Sharaa promised to unite a broken country. Barely three months on, a surge in fighting between pro-Assad gunmen and transitional government security forces has reportedly left hundreds of civilians dead and exposed the enduring divides in Syrian society. As al-Sharaa vows a national dialogue will continue, has his grand vision for Syria already fallen at the first hurdle?Jonny Dymond is joined by the BBC's Middle East correspondent, Lina Sinjab, and BBC Monitoring's MENA expert, Hesham Shawish.The Global Story brings you trusted insights from BBC journalists worldwide. We want your ideas, stories and experience to help us understand and tell #TheGlobalStory. Email us at [email protected] You can also message us or leave a voice note via Whatsapp on +44 330 123 9480.Producers: Laurie Kalus, Tom Kavanagh and Mhairi MacKenzieSound engineers: Mike Regaard and Dafydd EvansAssistant editor: Sergi Forcada FreixasSenior news editor: China Collins
Episode Description
When Syria's Bashar al-Assad was toppled in a lightning offensive in December, his successor Ahmed al-Sharaa promised to unite a broken country. Barely three months on, a surge in fighting between pro-Assad gunmen and transitional government security forces has reportedly left hundreds of civilians dead and exposed the enduring divides in Syrian society. As al-Sharaa vows a national dialogue will continue, has his grand vision for Syria already fallen at the first hurdle?
Jonny Dymond is joined by the BBC's Middle East correspondent, Lina Sinjab, and BBC Monitoring's MENA expert, Hesham Shawish.
The Global Story brings you trusted insights from BBC journalists worldwide. We want your ideas, stories and experience to help us understand and tell #TheGlobalStory. Email us at [email protected] You can also message us or leave a voice note via Whatsapp on +44 330 123 9480.
Producers: Laurie Kalus, Tom Kavanagh and Mhairi MacKenzie
Sound engineers: Mike Regaard and Dafydd Evans
Assistant editor: Sergi Forcada Freixas
Senior news editor: China Collins