Introduction
This March marks the 15th anniversary of the Syrian uprising, with Syrians celebrating freely across the country for the second time since the fall of the Assad regime on December 8, 2024. While last year’s anniversary was overshadowed by attacks launched by Assad loyalists and the sectarian violence that followed, this year’s commemoration comes after the Syrian government unified the country in January.
Between the two anniversaries, Syria navigated complex domestic and foreign challenges. Yet the country now appears considerably more stable than it did a year ago. Syria’s new rulers inherited a fragmented territory, fragile security conditions across the country, and an internationally isolated and sanctioned state. The new administration in Damascus had to integrate dozens of former opposition armed groups, address weak peripheral regions in the western, eastern, and southern parts of the country, and simultaneously seek foreign recognition and regional and international partnerships. As a result, the past year of Syria’s transition has been marked by a struggle to stabilize and unify the fragmented territory while also breaking the country’s international isolation.
