Sam Heller is a fellow at the Century Foundation, who is based in Beirut. He has written extensively on Syria, and recently participated in the foundation’s book, Arab Politics Beyond the Uprisings: Experiments in an Era of Resurgent Authoritarianism, to which he contributed a chapter on local governance and services in Idlib governorate, and the competition for legitimacy among Islamist armed groups. Diwan met with him in mid-July to discuss the situation in Idlib, the ease with which the Assad regime might retake the governorate militarily, and how local services are being used to enhance political power.
What’s Next in Idlib?
The Century Foundation’s Sam Heller discusses the complexities of a governorate that continues to evade regime control.
by Ghida Tayara
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