Deraa province: conflict dynamics and the role of civil society
This work is part of the Conflict Research Programme
Abstract
Deraa is known to be the cradle of the Syrian uprising of 2011. There were many reasons for the province’s increased popular resentment against the political regime in Syria, including the regime’s hardline security policies; its monopoly of the public sphere in the interest of a tight circle of local middlemen directly linked with the security apparatus; the continued tightening of the margin of basic freedoms; and the uneven development between Deraa’s rural and urban areas. The protest movement in the Deraa province is distinct given the role played by Deraa city in the uprising, which preceded the involvement of the surrounding rural areas. The peaceful nature of the uprising in Deraa helped to strengthen of the civil aspect of the movement, and rendered it more effective in the province as a whole. The number of organisations in southern Syria was at least 38 in 2015, increasing to around 50 organisations by the middle of 2018. Many local councils were also formed, helping to fill the governance gap in the province resulting from the Syrian regime’s gradual withdrawal in 2012
This work is part of the Conflict Research Programme managed by the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)
Citation
al-Zoabi, Sohaib (2020) Deraa province: conflict dynamics and the role of civil society. . Conflict Research Programme, London School of Economics and Political Science, London, UK.
Link
Deraa province: conflict dynamics and the role of civil society