Zedoun Alzoubi
A Co-Founder and Director at LUGARIT, where he leads international development projects and research focused on the MENA region. His work covers civil society development, local governance, peace-building, national identity, conflict resolution, humanitarian aid, gender mainstreaming, facilitation, and training. Since 2016, he has supported the UN Office of Special Envoy to Syria by facilitating the meetings of the Women Advisory Board and the Civil Society Support Room. Previously, he was the CEO of the French NGO UOSSM, where he managed a coalition of humanitarian and medical organizations from the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Switzerland, and Turkey providing independent and impartial relief to victims of war in Syria. Holds a PhD in Management, and post-doctoral studies from the Technical University in Berlin, Germany.
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Offering a comprehensive analysis of the challenges and opportunities ahead, the paper advocates for gradual, inclusive pathways toward stabilization. It emphasizes the importance of fostering economic opportunities to support refugee reintegration, initiating context-specific constitutional dialogue to address Syria’s unique realities, and achieving international consensus to navigate the complexities of this transition. While acknowledging the uncertainties of the current landscape, the paper outlines a framework for uniting the country under decentralized governance, ensuring accountability, and preserving territorial integrity.
As a snapshot of Syria during a pivotal moment, the paper provides critical insights into the evolving dynamics and offers practical recommendations to inform policymaking, international collaboration, and sustainable recovery efforts. This work is part of an ongoing effort to envision realistic solutions to rebuild Syria in the aftermath of regime collapse.
The research primarily focuses on the significant administrative transformations in Syrian governorates since the formation of the Syrian entity, with a particular emphasis on the period following independence. It raises critical questions about the nature of these transformations: Were they developmental, aiming to improve services and support countrywide development, or were they influenced by the interests of specific social, political, or economic groups?
To address these questions, the report examines relevant laws and decisions, parliamentary deliberations, and interviews with key figures involved in significant events in regions like Raqqa, Idlib, Tartous, and Quneitra. It finds that while some changes in administrative divisions had a service-oriented nature, influenced by demographic factors like population density and area size, political motives were also evident.
For instance, the creation of Quneitra was aimed at unifying civilian administration to align with military command against Israel. The formation of Tartous, predominantly Alawite following the loss of Alexandretta, suggests political and social motives alongside economic and service considerations. The separation of Raqqa and Idlib from Deir ez-Zor and Aleppo in 1957, despite opposition from Aleppo’s representatives, indicates political underpinnings, possibly linked to Nasserite influences in these governorates.
The renaming of governorates in the 1950s, such as Houran, Al-Furat, Jabal Al-Druze, and Al-Jazira, seems politically motivated to reduce regional extensions beyond national borders. This trend underscores the Syrian state’s centralization strategy, favoring a strong central government over empowering local administrations. The tendency to create new governorates linking remote areas to the central government, rather than decentralizing power, reflects this centralization ethos.
Overall, the report reveals a nuanced interplay of service, demographic, and political factors in the shaping of Syria’s administrative landscape, highlighting the complexity of governance and identity in the region.