Feb 11 2025 35 mins 16
In the years since Syria’s civil war began in 2011, the country has been slowly drifting away from the mainstream media spotlight. But on 8 December, everything changed.
Turkish-backed opposition forces declared Syria liberated from the 24-year rule of President Bashar al-Assad, capturing the capital Damascus in what seemed like the blink of an eye.
So what does the future hold for religious and ethnic minorities in Syria? Will the Kurds realize their dream of self-governance under the defacto HTS authority? What remains of the country's political opposition and labour movements, and how can the international community support a fair and equal redistribution of power for Syrians?
Matt Broomfield and Leila Al-Shami provide some answers.
Guests: Leila Al-Shami and Matt Broomfield
Host: Maxine Betteridge-Moes
Credits: Maxine Betteridge-Moes (Producer), Amy Hall, Bethany Rielly, Conrad Landin, Nick Dowson (Co-editors), Paula Lacey (Editorial assistant), Samuel Raffnell-Williams (Theme music), Nazik Hamza (Audio Editor), Mari Fouz (Logo Design)
Further reading:
The war isn't over (Matt Broomfield, in our forthcoming March/April 2025 issue - subscribe here)
Where to now for Syria’s women? (Zaina Erhaim in New Internationalist)
Read NI 526 The Kurds: Betrayed again (New Internationalist, 2020)
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