Syrian Civil Society and Democratic Transformation Pathways: A Critical Assessment of Conflict and NGO-ization Legacies
A paper authored by Rabie Nasser, as part of the collection “Reclaiming Civic Spaces, Knowledge and Agency: Taking Stock and Building a Research Agenda.”
5 minute read – August 11, 2026
Home / Publications / Syrian Civil Society and Democratic Transformation Pathways: A Critical Assessment of Conflict and NGO-ization Legacies
The Syrian Center for Policy Research is pleased to share a new paper titled “Syrian Civil Society and Democratic Transformation Pathways: A Critical Assessment of Conflict and NGO-ization Legacies,” authored by Rabie Nasser, co-founder and director of the Syrian Center for Policy Research.
The paper offers a critical assessment of the trajectory of Syrian civil society during the years of conflict. It assesses the key challenges and opportunities facing civic space and civil society institutions during the transitional process.
The analysis examines the political and legislative context, societal relations and identity politics, economic dynamics and available funds, the governance of civil society institutions, the engagement between these institutions and communities, donors, and authorities, the potential functions of civil society, and transformative strategies.
The paper relies on an extensive literature review, field work observations and interviews, a stakeholder workshop, and citizenship and social solidarity surveys conducted by the Syrian Center for Policy Research during 2022–2025. Its aim is to provide a policy-relevant assessment of Syrian civil society’s challenges during the conflict and to outline transformative strategies for its effective contribution to peace and democracy.
The paper proposes a set of “Transformative Strategies for an Inclusive Democratic Transition.” In this context, civil society’s strategic role is not to substitute for public institutions but to widen participation, shape accountable institutions, rebuild social cohesion, and promote recovery pathways anchored in justice and solidarity, while directly addressing the baseline drivers that otherwise reproduce civic paralysis.
These strategies include revitalizing civic engagement focused on public policy and building institutional alliances; advancing political civil society and civic–state engagement; strengthening social cohesion and citizenship; placing justice and equity at the center of the transition; and supporting solidarity-based economic development while dismantling conflict-economy incentives.
Across these strategies, improved governance and transparency within civil society institutions, stronger coordination and coalition capacity, sustained community trust, and safeguards against coercive interference, donor capture, and politicization are essential enabling conditions.
The analysis suggests that civil society’s contribution to a democratic transition depends less on organizational proliferation and more on the quality of civic space, institutional safeguards, and civic legitimacy under security-driven governance.
Strengthening this contribution requires legal protections for civic freedoms, credible accountability architectures, and inclusive participation. Civil society must also strengthen its internal governance and transparency, develop safeguards against capture, rebuild trust through downward accountability, and sustain responsiveness to community priorities.
This paper is part of the collection “Reclaiming Civic Spaces, Knowledge and Agency: Taking Stock and Building a Research Agenda.” The collection was commissioned by Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the Asfari Foundation through an intentional participatory process involving experts, scholars, researchers, and practitioners from across the Middle East and North Africa.
– August 11, 2026
Syrian Civil Society and Democratic Transformation Pathways: A Critical Assessment of Conflict and NGO-ization Legacies
Click here to read the full paper:
Syrian Civil Society and Democratic Transformation Pathways: A Critical Assessment of Conflict and NGO-ization Legacies
A paper authored by Rabie Nasser, as part of the collection “Reclaiming Civic Spaces, Knowledge and Agency: Taking Stock and Building a Research Agenda.”
5 minute read – August 11, 2026
The Syrian Center for Policy Research is pleased to share a new paper titled “Syrian Civil Society and Democratic Transformation Pathways: A Critical Assessment of Conflict and NGO-ization Legacies,” authored by Rabie Nasser, co-founder and director of the Syrian Center for Policy Research.
The paper offers a critical assessment of the trajectory of Syrian civil society during the years of conflict. It assesses the key challenges and opportunities facing civic space and civil society institutions during the transitional process.
The analysis examines the political and legislative context, societal relations and identity politics, economic dynamics and available funds, the governance of civil society institutions, the engagement between these institutions and communities, donors, and authorities, the potential functions of civil society, and transformative strategies.
The paper relies on an extensive literature review, field work observations and interviews, a stakeholder workshop, and citizenship and social solidarity surveys conducted by the Syrian Center for Policy Research during 2022–2025. Its aim is to provide a policy-relevant assessment of Syrian civil society’s challenges during the conflict and to outline transformative strategies for its effective contribution to peace and democracy.
The paper proposes a set of “Transformative Strategies for an Inclusive Democratic Transition.” In this context, civil society’s strategic role is not to substitute for public institutions but to widen participation, shape accountable institutions, rebuild social cohesion, and promote recovery pathways anchored in justice and solidarity, while directly addressing the baseline drivers that otherwise reproduce civic paralysis.
These strategies include revitalizing civic engagement focused on public policy and building institutional alliances; advancing political civil society and civic–state engagement; strengthening social cohesion and citizenship; placing justice and equity at the center of the transition; and supporting solidarity-based economic development while dismantling conflict-economy incentives.
Across these strategies, improved governance and transparency within civil society institutions, stronger coordination and coalition capacity, sustained community trust, and safeguards against coercive interference, donor capture, and politicization are essential enabling conditions.
The analysis suggests that civil society’s contribution to a democratic transition depends less on organizational proliferation and more on the quality of civic space, institutional safeguards, and civic legitimacy under security-driven governance.
Strengthening this contribution requires legal protections for civic freedoms, credible accountability architectures, and inclusive participation. Civil society must also strengthen its internal governance and transparency, develop safeguards against capture, rebuild trust through downward accountability, and sustain responsiveness to community priorities.
This paper is part of the collection “Reclaiming Civic Spaces, Knowledge and Agency: Taking Stock and Building a Research Agenda.” The collection was commissioned by Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the Asfari Foundation through an intentional participatory process involving experts, scholars, researchers, and practitioners from across the Middle East and North Africa.
Continue Reading
Related Articles
Event - Joint Position Paper - 14 November، 2025
