The Role of Academia in Post-Conflict State-Building in Syria

Swiss partners

• IHEID: Bilal Salaymeh

 MENA partners

• Damascus University: Obada Al Tamer

Presentation of the project

State-building remains one of the most pressing challenges in international politics, particularly in contexts emerging from prolonged conflict and fragmentation. Academic institutions have a vital role to play in shaping and informing these processes. As Syria takes its first steps in political transition, it offers unique insights into both the potential and challenges of
academia’s contribution to state-building. The Centre on Conflict, Development and Peacebuilding (CCDP), with its expertise in state-building, but also broader peacebuilding[1] and security sector reform[2], and the Faculty of Political Science at Damascus University, with its relevant network and positionality as the oldest and main national university, are well positioned to jointly explore this issue. A structured partnership in 2026 will foster academic collaboration, joint research, capacity-building, and policy dialogue that benefits academia, policy-makers, and civil society in both contexts.

This proposed 2026 partnership “The Role of Academia in State-Building Processes in Syria” seeks to establish an academic collaboration between Geneva and Damascus at this critical juncture in Syria’s trajectory. For over fourteen years of conflict, Syrian scholars have had limited opportunities for international academic exchange, collaborative research, or
methodological capacity-building. By fostering scholarly dialogue, sharing comparative knowledge, and engaging in joint research, this initiative will:

• Strengthen academic exchanges between Syrian and Swiss academic institutions.
• Create an expert network including both academics and policy-makers on state-building in Syria.
• Generate research and policy outputs that inform both local and international discussions on governance issues in conflict-affected contexts.
• Contribute to critically engaging with the process of state-building in Syria, drawing on both international and comparative case studies as well as Syria’s own unique experience.