About the Podcast:

A new episode of the podcast “Syria: Alternative Dialogues” features Harout Akdedian, a visiting scholar at the Middle East Studies Center at Portland State University and a Program Analyst at the Civil Rights Division of the Oregon Department of Justice.

Akdedian discusses his experience with the Syrian conflict and its impact on his academic and research path. He also highlights the increasing violence against Syrian refugees worldwide, particularly in Lebanon and Turkey, attributing this to political failures and the lack of constructive policies for the refugee crisis. He characterises populist and racist rhetoric as a political tactic rather than a genuine solution.

Akdedian introduces his book “State Atrophy in Syria: War, Society and Institutional Change” which examines the trust crisis in the State. The book analyses the impact of the State’s declining ability to meet societal needs and discusses the consequences of State disintegration. He points out that Syria’s experience shows that State collapse can lead to the emergence of harsher alternatives. During the Syrian war, chaos and State disintegration led to the rise of entities associated with armed groups like ISIS and Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, which adopted some governance patterns similar to the modern states but were inadequate in providing public services.

Akdedian discusses the impact of the war economy and the expansion of religious networks as the state’s role diminished. These religious networks assumed various roles, including addressing local needs, providing education, distributing resources, and delivering humanitarian aid. They played a crucial role in local power structures against war policies of death, starvation, and attrition.

For sectarianism, Akdedian explains that the sectarian narrative in Syria was not solely about religious and ethnic divisions but also served as a tool in political conflicts, adding that the different experiences of Syrians in exile further contribute to divisions among them.

Akdedian emphasises the importance of producing knowledge about political discourse and institutional change to understand societal and institutional transformations. He argues that creating alternative policies requires deeper studies on the role of institutions and the relationship between the state and society.

Akdedian concludes by emphasising the importance of establishing networks for collaboration among researchers on Syrian issues from various backgrounds. According to him, this is essential for developing new research methodologies and frameworks and creating a new reality.

About the Guest:

Harout Akdedian is a Program Analyst at the Civil Rights Division of the Oregon Department of Justice and a visiting scholar at the Middle East Studies Center at Portland State University. He holds a Ph.D. in Islamic Studies from the University of New England, Australia. Akdedian has a diverse academic background, including a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Haigazian University in Lebanon and a Master’s degree in International Law from the United Nations University for Peace in Costa Rica.

He has held various research and academic positions, including a Research Fellow at the Human Rights Center in Costa Rica, and a research consultant for organisations and think tanks, including the United Nations—Economic & Social Commission of Western Asia (ESCWA) and Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut.

Also, he was a post-doctoral research fellow at the Central European University in Budapest and Vienna.

Akdedian is the author of “State Atrophy in Syria: War, Society and Institutional Change,” which provides an in-depth analysis of state control, sectarianism, and the disintegration of government authority in Syria, highlighting the complex dynamics of these processes.

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