• Research
  • Diwan
  • About
  • Experts
Carnegie Middle East logoCarnegie lettermark logo
LebanonIran
{
  "authors": [
    "Ghida Tayara"
  ],
  "type": "commentary",
  "blog": "Diwan",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
    "Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center"
  ],
  "collections": [
    "Three Question Time",
    "Conflict and Refugees"
  ],
  "englishNewsletterAll": "menaTransitions",
  "nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
  "primaryCenter": "Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center",
  "programAffiliation": "MEP",
  "programs": [
    "Middle East"
  ],
  "projects": [
    "Triggers of Return"
  ],
  "regions": [
    "Levant",
    "Syria",
    "Middle East"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Political Reform"
  ]
}
Diwan English logo against white

Source: Getty

Commentary
Diwan

A Chaotic Comeback

Maha Yahya discusses the complexities and calculations in a Syrian refugee return

Link Copied
By Ghida Tayara
Published on Aug 29, 2017
Diwan

Blog

Diwan

Diwan, a blog from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace’s Middle East Program and the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center, draws on Carnegie scholars to provide insight into and analysis of the region. 

Learn More
REQUIRED IMAGE

Project

Triggers of Return

The Triggers of Return Project run by the Carnegie Middle East Center in 2016-2018 aims to improve understanding of the predicament of Syrian refugees, and to uncover the political, social, economic, and other conditions that would trigger their voluntary return to their homeland.

Learn More

Maha Yahya is the director of the Carnegie Middle East Center. Currently, she is leading a major project on a Syrian refugee return from Lebanon, and has long been following the topic very closely.

Last week, she published an article at Diwan, titled “The Perils of Side Arrangements,” the latest in a number of articles she has written on the refugees in recent months. These include “Blaming the Victims,” from July 31, a photo essay on the Za‘tari refugee camp in Jordan, from May 8, and “Broken Peaces,” from March 31. Diwan sat with Yahya in late August to discuss the broader prospects for Syrian refugees and their return home in light of fresh political developments in Syria and Lebanon. 

About the Author

Ghida Tayara

Senior Digital and Web Coordinator

Ghida Tayara
Senior Digital and Web Coordinator
Political ReformLevantSyriaMiddle East

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

More Work from Diwan

  • Commentary
    Diwan
    The Mecca Agreement Unpacked

    The accord represents a pivotal moment in the region to avert a security vacuum in the Gulf.

      Azeema Cheema, Mohanad Hage Ali

  • Commentary
    Diwan
    Years of Fire

    In an interview, Jason Burke discusses his sweeping account of the “revolutionists” who so shaped the 1970s and early 1980s.

      Michael Young

  • Commentary
    Diwan
    Whither the Lebanon-Syria Relationship?

    In an interview, Sohaib Jawhar analyzes the profound changes in the ties between the neighboring countries.

      Michael Young

  • Commentary
    Diwan
    The West’s Climate Colonialism in the Greater Middle East

    There is a disturbing structural parallel between the old global energy economy and the new green transition.

      • Angie Omar

      Angie Omar

  • Commentary
    Diwan
    New Syria, Old Lebanon: Absence of the State

    Any move by the United States to make good on Trump’s suggestion that Washington persuade Damascus to confront Hezbollah militarily would have catastrophic consequences. 

      Kheder Khaddour

Get more news and analysis from
Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center
Carnegie Middle East logo, white
  • Research
  • Diwan
  • About
  • Experts
  • Projects
  • Events
  • Contact
  • Careers
  • Privacy
  • For Media
Get more news and analysis from
Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center
© 2026 Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. All rights reserved.