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Syria’s best asset for an inclusive, transparent, and participatory political transition is its civil society. During years of uprising and war, citizens built diverse initiatives to achieve political change, raise awareness, pursue justice, and provide humanitarian relief. Today, organizations inside and outside the country have the capacity, experience, and will to push for democracy. They are already doing so by mobilizing pressure to demand accountability; cultivating democratic citizenship; channeling expertise to resolve key state challenges; and helping to alleviate the population’s dire material needs. International parties must follow the lead of the Syrian grassroots and support their priorities and work.
About the Authors
Rana B. Khoury
Rana B. Khoury is assistant professor of political science at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Her second book, Civilizing Contention: International Aid in Syria’s War, is forthcoming from Cornell University Press.
Wendy Pearlman is Jane Long Professor of Arts and Sciences and professor of political science at Northwestern University. She is the author of six books, including We Crossed a Bridge and It Trembled: Voices from Syria (2017) and The Home I Worked to Make: Voices from the New Syrian Diaspora (2024).
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