Although local clerics have helped the Syrian state reassert control, the regime is centralizing religious authority away from communities. Their future relationship is hard to predict.
Hadeel Al-Saidawi is no longer with the Carnegie Endowment.
Al-Saidawi holds an MSc. in Comparative Politics from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).
Prior to joining Carnegie, she has worked as a consultant with the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DfID) and Foreign Commonwealth Office (FCO) as well as the EU commission. Al-Saidawi’s research on Syria centers on governance structures, state-building, civil society, and prospects for peace building through exploring local dynamics.
Although local clerics have helped the Syrian state reassert control, the regime is centralizing religious authority away from communities. Their future relationship is hard to predict.
Once the Idlib standoff ends, Syria’s regime and its allies will turn eastwards where another complex situation prevails.
Civil society organizations are moving to the forefront as vital intermediaries in Syria’s northeast.