Ethnic, religious and tribal identities in Syria are non-homogeneous, complex, overlapping and dynamic. Therefore, studying the 2011 conflict's impacts on Syrian communities requires a historical, relational, contextual and intersectional approach. This policy brief stems from a larger report that follows such an approach to better understand the changing needs and experiences of ‘community’ membership in contemporary Syria, including its varied relations with the government of Syria (GoS), non-state governance and military actors, as well as with other communities. This knowledge informs policy toward localised solutions for peace formation which refers to the mobilisation of indigenous local and grassroots movements in cultural, social, religious, customary and local governance settings to resolve conflict and foster peace. Considering the country’s frozen conflict, the report forwards as the most viable policy option the hybridisation of these solutions with international pressure on conflict parties to foster peace. Five critical case studies survey challenges and opportunities towards peace formation, informing case-specific and more generalisable recommendations in this quest.

For the full report click here.

For the authors’ interview highlighting the main findings of the report click here.