Since 2011, Syria has been ravaged by conflict, foreign interventions and political fragmentation – leaving millions displaced and communities in crisis.

But amidst the devastation, a new conversation is taking shape.

Just months after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, a new interim government led by Ahmed al-Sharaa has formed. A recent poll shows 70% of Syrians feel hopeful, but that hope is colliding with hard realities.

More than 1,300 people – many believed to be civilians – have been killed in Syria’s worst violence since the fall of the Assad regime, as clashes erupt between forces loyal to the new government and Assad holdouts. Meanwhile, reconstruction is stalled. Western sanctions, unpaid civil servants, and new US tariffs risk deepening the crisis.

In this episode, we ask whether this fragile but hopeful moment for Syria can endure. Can international partners support recovery without repeating the mistakes of the past? And how can we centre the voices of Syrians in the process of rebuilding their country?

Guests

• Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI Global
• Sana Kikhia, Executive Director, Syrian Legal Development Programme (SLDP) 
• Leen Fouad, Senior Research Officer, Humanitarian Policy Group (HPG), ODI Global 
• Amy Rodgers, Coordinator, Middle East Durable Solutions Platform 
  
  

Related resources

• Syria’s chance to build better, not backward (Insight, ODI Global)
  
  
• Lifting sanctions on Syria: a bumpy path (Insight, ODI Global)
  
  
• Tens of thousands of people forcibly disappeared: will the international community step up for Syrians? (Insight, ODI Global)
  
  
• Syria's pursuit of justice: navigating accountability amidst ongoing turmoil (Insight, ODI Global)
  
  
• Revolution and rupture: humanitarianism and human rights in Syria and Myanmar (Event video, ODI Global)