This post was originally published on France24
Can Syria keep its promises?
Since the fall of Assad last December, the new rulers of Damascus have convened a one-day national dialogue conference. On paper, the outcomes sound promising: transitional justice, inclusive democracy, and the disarmament of the country’s numerous militias in favor of a unified national army.
In practice, it’s far more complicated. The U.S.-backed Syrian Kurds in the north feel excluded and have no intention of surrendering their weapons while they continue to fight both ISIS remnants and Turkey-backed militias.
Integrating them, while also building trust with the Islamist-led factions that brought Ahmed al-Shaara to power, won’t happen overnight.
We’ll explore how this can be achieved—and how far the West is willing to go now that the EU has lifted sanctions. With Israel’s ongoing airstrikes and its demands for Syria’s military to retreat from the Golan Heights, how can the international community support lasting stability and peace in a country that desperately seeks it?