What Is The Legacy of the Syrian Civil War? A Conversation Between Omar Dahi and Steven Simon
The Syrian civil war, which followed the Arab Spring, stands as one of the 21st century’s most brutal conflicts, with estimates of over half a million deaths, millions displaced to Turkey, Lebanon, Europe, and beyond, and widespread human rights violations, including torture and terrorism.
Throughout the war, numerous regional and international actors became involved. Iran, Hezbollah, and Russia provided military support to the Assad regime; Turkey backed militias and tolerated HTS’s presence in Idlib; and the SDF, supported by the United States, fought ISIS but also sought territorial control of northeastern Syria. The Obama administration avoided direct intervention, wary of repeating Iraq, though it briefly launched and shut down a program to train anti-Assad rebels. President Trump later expressed interest in withdrawing the roughly 900 U.S. troops in Syria, but was dissuaded by his advisers. Throughout the conflict, the U.S. imposed a stringent sanctions regime on the Assad regime, isolating Syria economically.
The collapse of the Assad government this month shocked many and brought relief to millions of Syrians, though some remain apprehensive about how the new government will lead. What does the end of the Assad regime mean for Syrians, the region, and the United States? What lessons should Washington take from Syria’s civil war and U.S. Middle East policy?
To discuss the end of the Assad regime and the beginning of a new Syria, the Quincy Institute held a discussion between Omar Dahi, professor of economics at Hampshire College, and Steven Simon, senior research fellow at the Quincy Institute. Adam Weinstein, deputy director of the Middle East program at the Quincy Institute, moderated.
Program
Entities
Panelists
Omar Dahi
Omar S. Dahi is a professor of economics at Hampshire College. He is also the founding director of Security in Context, a research network on peace, conflict, and international affairs. He has published in various academic journals and he serves as an associate editor of the Review of Social Economy as well as the e-zine Jadaliyya and has served on the editorial committee of the Middle East Report. He is a founding member of the Beirut School of Critical Security Studies within the Arab Council for the Social Sciences (ACSS). Dahi has served as a lead expert on the United Nations Economic and Social Commission of West Asia's National Agenda for the Future of Syria program. He was born and raised in Syria.
Steven Simon
Steven Simon is a senior research fellow at the Quincy Institute and distinguished fellow and visiting professor at Dartmouth College. Prior to this, he was Robert E. Wilhelm Fellow at the MIT Center for International Studies and Executive Director of the International Institute for Strategic Studies for the U.S. and Middle East. From 2011 to 2012 he served on the National Security Council staff as senior director for Middle Eastern and North African affairs. He also worked on the NSC staff 1994 – 1999 on counterterrorism and Middle East security policy. His most recent book, "Grand Delusion: The Rise and Fall of American Ambition in the Middle East", was published in 2023.
Adam Weinstein
Adam Weinstein is deputy director of the Middle East Program at the Quincy Institute. He previously worked for KPMG’s international trade practice. Adam’s current research focuses on security, trade, and rule of law in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the Middle East. He has conducted extensive research travel in Pakistan, Iraq, and the greater Middle East. He is also a non-resident fellow at Tabadlab, an Islamabad based think tank and advisory firm. Adam served as a U.S. Marine and deployed to Uruzgan Province Afghanistan in 2012.