Mediterranean Programme - [04/17/2007]

The emergence of a syrian civil society

Salam Kawakibi, a syrian political scientist and author who resides in Paris and has written a great many books on Syria, political Islam, and democracy and the media, presented a working document at the CIDOB Foundation on the emergence of a civil society in Syria and the impact of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership on the process.

Kawakibi explained how modern-day Syria was formed, pointing particularly to the times when the country enjoyed periods of political openness, stages which were conducive for the birth of an incipient civil society. However, he added that the Syrian regime, or certain sectors of it, have been repressing these movements. In contrast, it has been setting up purportedly non-governmental organisations which are, in fact, closely linked to the state.

The Syrian political scientist gave a close analysis of what has become known as the Damascus Spring (the pro-openness movement that characterised Bashar Assad’s early years as head of the Syrian state). However, this experience was cut short, and Kawakibi described the strict limits marked by the regime, which cannot be transgressed.

After expounding on the difficulties currently being experienced by associative movements in Syria, Kawakibi went on to describe the lack of success obtained by the European Commission and its member states in favouring the emergence of a civil society. This is a serious setback, bearing in mind that this discussion point represents one of the main objectives of the Barcelona Process.

Kawakibi's presentation ended in a debate with the audience. Helena Olivan, head of Mediterranean Policies at the European Institute of the Mediterranean, stated that the weak trade figures between the EU and Syria were clear proof that Europe’s capacity for influence in Syria is lower than in other countries. Olivan also tackled the question of political Islam and Syria’s limited participation in Euro-Mediterranean platforms for civil society.

Eduard Soler, co-ordinator of the Mediterranean Programme at the CIDOB Foundation, stressed the roles of Syrian civil society and of the Kurdish population, in addition to the differences between the situation in Damascus and in the rest of the country. Afterwards, Kawakibi, Olivan, Soler and the audience discussed matters of a regional level, the Lebanese question, the negotiations between Syria and Israel and the growing influence of Iran in regional security.