The Syrian Revolution, born as it was on 15 March 2011, formed part of the integral whole of the Arab revolutionary movement, which has seen numerous examples of the people coming out to face authoritarian regimes. The ACRPS has hosted and organized a number of scholarly symposia and conferences focusing on these movements, as part of its efforts to understand these situations, and to be able to better forecast the transition to democracies in these countries.
Notably, the specificity of ethnic and religious diversity within the Levant has given the revolution within the country of Syria a certain distinctiveness, setting it apart from the rebellions in the Arab Maghreb. With the above in mind, and, given the centrality of Syria and her geopolitical role in the Arab framework, the ACRPS hosted a seminar to examine the Syrian revolution in many of its dimensions: political, economic and social.
The aim of the conference was to try to forecast the transition to democracy within Syria, and to allow the various distinguished attendees, who came from the worlds of the Syrian intelligentsia and political life, to come up with a vision for the transition within Syria.
This meeting addressed the societal and political questions posed by the events of the Syrian revolution. In doing so, the discussions were divided into four themes, before being brought to a close with the Roundtable Discussion at the end. The themes were as follows:
Being the first Syria-centered event of such a nature organized outside of the country, the conference attracted the attention and interest of the world's media.
The deliberations at the conference were marked by their seriousness and frankness, being far removed from any "wishful thinking", especially when discussions turned to the interplay between international relations and the possible impact of global factors on the outcome of the Syrian Revolution.
