Commentary
Maha Yahya
{
"authors": [
"Maha Yahya"
],
"type": "legacyinthemedia",
"centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
"centers": [
"Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
"Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center"
],
"collections": [],
"englishNewsletterAll": "menaTransitions",
"nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
"primaryCenter": "Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center",
"programAffiliation": "MEP",
"programs": [
"Middle East"
],
"projects": [],
"regions": [
"Levant",
"Syria",
"Middle East"
],
"topics": [
"Political Reform"
]
}
Source: Getty
In The Media
Is Federalism the Answer to the War in Syria?
With no clear end to the Syria conflict in sight , the idea of federalism, which has attracted considerable attention and controversy, is being discussed.
By Maha Yahya
Published on Mar 13, 2016
Source: Al-Jazeera
The resumption of talks in Geneva coincides with the fifth anniversary of the conflict in Syria. The fighting has slowed considerably since a fragile ceasefire brokered by the US and Russia, came into force almost two weeks ago. However, a permanent peace deal and full ceasefire remain a distant possibility. As Staffan de Mistura, the UN special envoy for Syria, prepares to meet delegations from the government and opposition groups, the idea of federalism is being discussed. The idea has attracted considerable attention and controversy. But could both sides consider federalism? And will the latest round of talks yield any concrete results?
Marwan Kabalan, Syrian academic and writer and Associate Analyst at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, Maha Yahya, acting director of the Carnegie Middle East Center, and Julien Barnes-Dacey, senior policy fellow in the Middle East and North Africa Program at the European Council on Foreign Relations, discuss whether both sides could consider federalism and assess whether the latest round of talks will yield any concrete results.
About the Author
Maha Yahya
Director, Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center
Maha Yahya is director of the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center, where her research focuses on citizenship, pluralism, and social justice in the aftermath of the Arab uprisings.
- Israel Goes to War with Iran
- Joseph Aoun Has Been Elected President of LebanonCommentary
Maha Yahya
Recent Work
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 Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
- Europe from Scratch: Visions for a New European OrderReport
As the EU confronts profound challenges, several leaders have called for fundamental reform to the union’s model—but only modest, superficial changes have resulted. What if Europe really could be reimagined from zero today: What should such a redesigned European order look like?
Richard Youngs, ed.
- Parliamentary Elections in Occupied Ukraine Risk Backfiring for the KremlinCommentary
Despite unhappiness on the ground, Moscow is determined to use both carrot and stick to ensure there is record support for United Russia in occupied Ukraine.
Konstantin Skorkin
- Nolan’s "The Odyssey" Has a Colonialism ProblemCommentary
Despite Morocco’s hopes that its film industry would reap rewards, the blockbuster’s success will be tainted by controversy surrounding filming in occupied Western Sahara.
Sarah Yerkes
- Moldova’s Ruling Party PAS Must Graduate From Crisis Management to State GovernanceCommentary
Whether PAS can refocus on the unfinished business of state-building may ultimately prove more consequential for Moldova’s European future than the pace of its accession negotiations.
Balázs Jarábik
- Snubbed by United Russia as Elections Loom, Medvedev Looks Condemned to Eternal ObscurityCommentary
Medvedev’s defeat in the battle for the position of speaker appears to signal that the long process of his marginalization in Russian politics has passed the point of no return.
Andrey Pertsev
