Synaps
@SynapsNetwork
In-depth field research based on local fellowships. Tweet long-form analysis, fieldwork quotes & recommended reading. Sign up: http://eepurl.com/dzfL3n
Syria now is a whirlwind of daily events: some hopeful, others ominous. Understanding them means slowing down and looking back, not just to 2011 but decades before. @SynapsNetwork mapped deep, structural factors shaping the transition synaps.network/en/post/mappin…
Recent maps of Syria focus on conflict and fragmentation, ignoring what keeps the country together. We've reversed that logic to stress linkages that shape today's transition synaps.network/en/post/mappin…
Syria's transition is shaped by slow-moving trends, decades in the making. We visualized key traits on one map, with analysis of why they matter. We are very proud to share this downloadable version. synaps.network/en/post/mappin…
Much of our work at Synaps consists in designing solutions that meet a very specific need for information. Our method, to grasp our end-users, comes from user-centric design, which applies just as well to social services or aid and development programs. synaps.network/en/post/the-po…
Orient XXI interview with @PeterHarling on Beirut. Full of truly interesting insights. Two come to mind: “Beirut is built on the Mediterranean and yet, bizarrely, it is not Mediterranean in character.” How true. And, “[p]lants tell us the story of a city whose more authentic,…
Help us find the best match in Lebanon! We're looking for an experienced administrative consultant to sort out some of our key internal processes.
إن رفع العقوبات ضروري لإحياء اقتصاد سوريا، لكنه ليس كافيا بحد ذاته. في هذا المقال يوضح الباحث في شبكة سينابس أليكس سايمون @AlexGSimon العوائق الداخلية التي يجب على دمشق إزالتها لإطلاق عملية التعافي. #اقتصاد_سوريا #رفع_العقوبات_عن_سوريا synaps.network/ar/post/syria-…
ماذا يمكن لسوريا أن تتوقع من رفع العقوبات الاقتصادية؟ يعتمد ذلك على مدى تعامل دمشق مع القيود الداخلية التي تعيق اقتصادها، لا سيما الفساد، والعوائق البيروقراطية، والتشريعات المتخلفة، والغموض السائد. كما يجب على سوريا أن تعيد إطلاق عملية التعافي من الداخل. synaps.network/ar/post/syria-…
This year, I will shed light on invisible victims in Syria and advocate inclusive justice. I will draw on skills gained from @SynapsNetwork—an organization that shaped who I am. I am eager to learn from the incredible TIMEP team and always grateful to my people: the Syrians.
⭐️@Linaagho is a Syrian researcher and human rights specialist with over a decade of experience in the humanitarian and research sectors. She aims to advocate for the rights of Syria’s invisible victims. Learn more about Lina: timep.org/author/linagho…
What can Syria expect from sanctions relief? It depends how much Damascus tackles the internal shackles on its economy: corruption, bureaucratic obstruction, lagging legislation, and general uncertainty. Syria must also jumpstart recovery from within. synaps.network/en/post/syria-…
What's needed to restart Syria's economy? Sanctions relief, to be sure, but also: 1⃣ functioning property markets 2⃣ clear legal frameworks 3⃣ explicit policies on trade, borders, etc 4⃣ hard data, and channels for sharing it More here, @SynapsNetwork synaps.network/en/post/syria-…
Sanctions relief is essential to reviving Syria's economy. But it's not enough. @AlexGSimon lays out the web of internal barriers that Damascus must lift for recovery to take off. synaps.network/en/post/syria-…
What to make of Syria's transition, in light of the two recent rounds of vicious sectarian violence? My answers bring in a historical perspective as well as the regional dimension. Thank you @CarnegieMEP and @BeirutCalling! carnegieendowment.org/middle-east/di…
In an interview, @PeterHarling discusses the fate of religious communities in the Syrian transformation. carnegieendowment.org/middle-east/di…
In an interview, @PeterHarling discusses Syria's religious communities in the country's transition, in particular the relationship between the Sharaa regime and minorities, in the shadow of the legacy of the Assad regime and its treatment of minorities, at Diwan:…
The new round of sectarian attacks that Syria is currently witnessing, on Druze areas in Damascus and the South, are very different, in nature and implications, from the anti-Alawite pogroms that occurred earlier this year. 🧵
La région MENA est devenue totalement dépendante des importations pour nourrir sa population. C'est pourtant là que l’humanité a appris à faire pousser les céréales... Article publié sur @SynapsNetwork ✍️@AlexGSimon & Monica Basbous orientxxi.info/magazine/medit…
Arab countries engage in a risky swap: They use precious water to grow fancy food products for the West, while importing what feeds their people. This has roots in colonization, neoliberalism, and bad governance. We mapped how it looks across countries synaps.network/en/post/medite…
The Middle East once led the world in wheat production, famously feeding Rome. Today it feeds its own people only through massive import dependence. Read on to visualize the region’s capitalistic shift from growing staple foods to cash crops for export synaps.network/en/post/medite…
What do Moroccan melons, Egyptian strawberries, and Saudi cheese have in common? They’re hugely water-intensive, yet exported en masse by states with no water to spare. Our latest essay maps the region’s untenable food trade synaps.network/en/post/medite…