
One year after Assad: Syria’s struggle for security, recovery and reform
From ECFR ON AIR by ECFR
December 4, 2025 · 16 min
About this episode
Ellie Geranmayeh interviews Syrian minister Hind Kabawat about the challenges and opportunities in Syria one year after Assad's fall, focusing on women's leadership in reconstruction efforts.
Ellie Geranmayeh speaks with Syrian minister Hind Kabawat about the country’s turbulent first year after Assad, the challenges ahead, and her push to bring more women into leadership during Syria’s reconstruction. In the latest episode of the WOMENP podcast series, Ellie Geranmayeh welcomes Hind Kabawat, Syria’s minister of social affairs and labour. Almost a year after the fall of Bashar al-Assad, the new government faces both transformational opportunities and serious challenges. Syria’s once-notorious political prisons have been shut down, a preliminary national dialogue has begun, elections have been held, and the country has secured unprecedented sanctions relief. Yet major setbacks remain: the economy is under severe strain, and violent clashes have erupted between armed groups and government forces, as well as with Israel. In this episode, we discuss where Syria stands after the turbulent events of the past year. What are the country’s most urgent priorities for achieving meaningful stability? How are regional and global powers shaping Syria’s immediate future, and what does the new government expect from Europe? As the only female minister in the current cabinet, Kabawat…
People in this episode
Guest: Hind Kabawat
Topics covered
- Syria
- politics
- women in leadership
- reconstruction
- security
Keywords
- Assad
- Syria's recovery
- social affairs
- labour
- national dialogue
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Bookshelf: The Enemy Syrians, No Water to quench their Thirst
Places: Syria, Israel, Europe
More episodes of ECFR ON AIR
- Eastern Europe’s breaking point: When crises collide and the EU hesitates · April 2, 2026 · 43 min
- Yemen: Between Gulf tensions and Iran war clouds · February 26, 2026 · 37 min
- Trump's Iran choice: Regional takes · February 10, 2026 · 47 min
- Trust, anger and the limits of EU democracy promotion · December 19, 2025 · 36 min
- The diplomatic minefield: What now for Ukraine? · November 27, 2025 · 43 min
- The EU’s enlargement reality check · November 14, 2025 · 37 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the ECFR ON AIR podcast page.