Steven Heydemann is the Janet Wright Ketcham 1953 professor in Middle East Studies at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, and a nonresident senior fellow in the Center for Middle East Policy of the Brookings Institution. From 2011 to 2015 Heydemann directed the Syria program at the United States Institute for Peace, and during that time he participated in the preparation of a report titled “The Day After: Supporting a Democratic Transition in Syria,” which was widely used by activists, non-governmental organizations, and governments during the early phases of the Syrian conflict, and was endorsed by numerous Syrian opposition groups as well as the European Parliament. Diwan caught up with Heydemann in early February, during his visit to Beirut to participate in a Carnegie roundtable on post-conflict reconstruction, to get his views about an eventual reconstruction process in Syria.
Out of the Ashes?
Steven Heydemann discusses postwar reconstruction in Syria, and how it might affect the future of the Assad regime.
More work from Diwan
Assad’s Downfall Echoes Across the MediterraneanIn eastern Libya, Khalifa Haftar had close ties with the Syrian dictator, and has now lost a soulmate.
Political IslamSeveral years after the Arab uprisings, the diverse landscape of Islamist actors continues to shift in different directions, often tailored by and for the existing challenges.
Carnegie scholars explore the transformations that Islamist groups and parties in the region (across national, ethnic, sectarian, and doctrinal divides) are undergoing, by examining both the external factors that impact them, and their internal dynamics and tensions around questions of governance, ideology, and violence.
This project was made possible with the generous support of the Carnegie Corporation of New York (CCNY).
Anatomy of a Military FallWhy did Bashar al-Assad’s armed forces fail to act, unlike those in Egypt, Libya, Algeria, and Sudan?
Eastern Syria After AssadThe SDF has expanded its control over Deir al-Zor, but may soon find itself overstretched and facing Turkish allies.
- Wladimir van Wilgenburg
