Rebuilding Syria: Economy, Power and Geopolitics — Joseph Daher

This episode of The IR thinker looks ahead to the political and economic future of Syria in a post-Assad scenario, in conversation with Dr Joseph Daher. The discussion explores whether a new order would genuinely break with Syria’s entrenched war economy or merely reconfigure existing networks of power and patronage, and what might happen to Assad’s inner circle. It examines the current state of Syria’s economy, the role of technocrats, expatriates and the wider diaspora in any reconstruction process, and how religion may shape post-conflict politics and social life. The episode also considers potential income sources for reconstruction, contrasts the likely approaches of Middle Eastern and Western states, and assesses the roles of Russia, China and regional dynamics involving Turkey and the Kurds in reshaping Syria’s diplomacy and external relations.Joseph DaherDr Joseph Daher is a scholar of the contemporary Middle East specialising in political economy, political Islam and modern regional history, with a particular focus on Syria, Lebanon, Egypt and Palestine. He is an associate researcher at the Bonn International Centre for Conflict Studies and, between 2018 and 2024, was a visiting professor at the European University Institute in Florence, where he contributed to and co-led major research projects on the Syrian war economy and post-conflict trajectories. He has published widely in English, French and Arabic in academic journals and research outlets, and is the founder of the blog Syria Freedom Forever, a platform dedicated to critical analysis of Syrian politics and society.Publications:Hezbollah: The political economy of Lebanon’s Party of GodSyria after the uprisings: The political economy of state resilienceThe deep roots of the depreciation of the Syrian poundSyria’s manufacturing sector: The model of economic recovery in questionState institutions and regime networks as service providers in SyriaWater scarcity, mismanagement and pollution in SyriaContent00:00 - Introduction02:50 - Post-Assad Order: Continuity or Break from Syria’s War Economy?07:34 - Fate of Assad’s Inner Circle: Where Are They Now?12:02 - Current State of Syria’s Economy21:47 - Technocrats and Expatriates in Syria’s Government: Redistribution of Resources28:17 - Role of Syrian Diaspora and Leaders in Exile31:38 - Religion’s Influence in Syria’s Reconstruction and Post-Assad Era36:52 - Main Potential Income Sources for Syria in Reconstruction43:34 - Approaches of Middle Eastern States vs. Western Economies towards Syria: Solidarity or Profit-Driven?47:00 - Role of Russia and China in Syria’s Reconstruction52:48 - Geopolitical Triangle: Turkey, Syria, and the Kurds58:04 - Strengthening Syria’s International DiplomacyFollow & Further ResourcesSubstack: https://theirthinker.substack.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ir-thinker/X: https://x.com/irthinker_Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theirthinker/Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/theirthinker.bsky.socialFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/irthinkerfb Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.