Dr. Amy Austin Holmes: "Geopolitical Implications of the Fall of the Assad Regime"

Council for International Relations-Greece (CfIR) and Institute for International Relations (IDIS)

"Geopolitical Implications of the Fall of the Assad Regime: Syria, Turkey, and the United States"  
[Friday, January 10, 2025, 12:00-14:00 Institute of International Relations, 3-5 Hill str., Athens]

WATCH THE FULL LECTURE HERE: https://youtu.be/3BxKaiD5tCc?si=feNhB7F-rL7Kho3_ 

Abstract
The dramatic events in Syria and the fall of the Assad regime are reshaping the country and having ripple effects across the Middle East and beyond. This marks a critical opportunity for Syrians to rebuild their country on their own terms, especially after the departure of Russian and Iranian forces. However, other external actors remain heavily involved, including Turkey and the United States. Although NATO allies, Turkey and the United States have been at odds over US support for the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the partner force of the Global Coalition that defeated ISIS.  What are the geopolitical implications of the fall of Assad, and what are the prospects for rebuilding Syria after more than 12 years of war?

Dr. Amy Austin Holmes is a scholar of conflict and international security. Her research in the Middle East, including Syria and Turkey, has analyzed non-state actors, revolutions, military coups, and de-facto states. She is currently Research Professor of International Affairs at George Washington University, and also teaches courses on American foreign policy at the Bush School of Government and Public Service in Washington DC. Dr Holmes conducted the first-ever survey of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the local partner of the US-led Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS. Her latest book, Statelet of Survivors: The Making of a Semi-Autonomous Region in Northeastern Syria (Oxford University Press 2024) draws from seven years of field research and examines how a multiethnic coalition stopped the ISIS genocide, defied Assad's regime, and established self-governance in the region. She has a PhD from Johns Hopkins University, and previously served as a tenured professor at the American University in Cairo, and as a Visiting Scholar at Harvard’s Belfer Center. In addition to her academic career, she also served at the U.S. Department of State, where she focused on Syria, Iraq, and Turkey.