Syria has been stuck in a seemingly endless cycle of catastrophic violence since 2011.

For academics, policymakers and lay observers the duration of the conflict and the labyrinthine array of internal and external factors can lead to a sense of hopelessness regarding its peaceful resolution. But is the Syria conflict irresolvable? What are the key obstacles to peaceful resolution? And what options are available to countries like New Zealand to constructively support peace?

These questions and more will be explored by a panel of experts who will share their personal insights and experiences of the Syria situation.

Guest speakers

Dr Mhd Hosam Hafez

Originally from Damascus, is an international law expert and worked with the Syrian Foreign Ministry until his defection in 2012. Dr Hafez was a member of the Syrian opposition negotiations delegation for the Intra-Syrian negotiations in 2014, head of the Foreign Affairs and Diplomacy Department of the Syrian Interim Government in 2014-2015, a member of the High Negotiations Committee (HNC), and head of its legal office in 2016-2017. He is currently working towards his PhD at the University of Otago and is researching the Syrian peace processes.

Mr Louay Hussein

Born to an Alawite family in Damascus in 1960, is a prominent Syrian writer and political activist and was imprisoned on several occasions since the 1980s. Mr Hussein is the founder of Petra Publishing House and his works include Dialogue in Syrian Nationalism, Democratic choice in Syria, The Secular Question and About the Elite and People. His most famous monograph, The Loss, describes his experiences in prison. He was among the first to be detained by Syrian authorities for expressing support for the protesters in Deraa at the start of the uprising in March 2011 and is the founder of the opposition party Building the Syrian State.

Discussants

• Dr Hanlie Booysen, Victoria University of Wellington & MEISA. Former South African diplomat posted to Damascus, Syria in the period leading up to and during the first year-and-a-half of the Syrian uprising
• Dr Leon T. Goldsmith, University of Otago & MEISA, author of Cycle of Fear: Syria's Alawites in War and Peace

Registration

Please email meisa@otago.ac.nz to register for the event and receive the Zoom link and password.

Middle East & Islamic Studies Aotearoa (MEISA)