How does a country rebuild after overthrowing a dictator?

On December 8, 2024, armed forces led by Islamist rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham overthrew the Assad regime, which had ruled as a corrupt and brutal dictatorship in Syria for over 50 years.

For now, the country is in an in-between phase – what was is gone, but it’s not yet clear what’s coming next. In this episode, we explore what it was like on the ground in the weeks after the Assad regime fell, why it was necessary to have some continuity with the former government, and key areas where Syria remains vulnerable.

Mohammad Kanfash is a PhD candidate at the Center for Conflict Studies at Utrecht University, where he focuses on State-Society relations in post-conflict areas in Syria. He also works on sanctions. Follow Mohammad on Linkedin, and learn more about his work at www.uu.nl/medewerkers/MKanfash

Ali Aljasem is a researcher at the Centre for Conflict Studies at Utrecht University focusing on paramilitary groups in Syria and on humanitarian aid. Ali visited Syria one week after Assad was defeated. Follow Ali on Linkedin, and learn more about his work at www.uu.nl/medewerkers/AAljasem

Note: we recorded this interview in late January. Since then the former leader of the victorious rebel group, Ahmed al-Sharaa, was officially appointed interim President, an interim Constitution has been crafted, and there has been large-scale violence led by Assad loyalists.

Disrupting Peace is a production of The World Peace Foundation. The show is produced by Bridget Conley and Emily Shaw. Engineering by Jacob Winik and Aja Simpson. Marketing and Social media by Emily Ruhm. Show artwork by Simon Fung.

Special thanks to Jeremy Helton, Lisa Avery, B. Arneson, and Alex de Waal, and the team from the Tufts Digital Design Studio, including Kimberly Lynn Forero-Arnias, and Miles Donovan.

Find out more about the World Peace Foundation at worldpeacefoundation.org. Follow us on Bluesky at worldpeacefdtn.bsky.social, and on Instagram @worldpeacefdtn.