The cover feature of this edition, Syria after Assad: a fragile new beginning, focuses on one of the most significant events of the century so far. The optimism of the Arab Spring, which began at the end of 2010, was brutally halted by the deadly crackdown of the Assad regime. This led to the Syrian Civil War raging for almost 14 years and only coming to an end in December last year, along with decades of savage oppression that had been inflicted on the population, first by President Hafez al-Assad and then by his son Bashir.

The consequences of the conflict have been catastrophic within Syria, across the region and much further afield as well. Simply in terms of the migration crisis that ensued, with more than 14 million people being forced from their homes, the ramifications – humanitarian, economic and political – have been immense. Over seven million people have been internally displaced, with similar numbers of refugees fleeing to neighbouring countries – such as Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey – as well as seeking safety elsewhere.

Since the start of the Syrian civil war, over one million asylum seekers and refugees have travelled to Europe, as part of a migration crisis that reached a dramatic peak in 2015. This mass movement of refugees from Syria, as well as Afghanistan and Iraq, has played a significant part in challenging the EU's open border policies, influencing the Brexit vote that saw the UK leave the European Union and fuelling the rise of anti-immigrant sentiment and populist far right political parties across Europe.

It's likely that the remarkably destabilising effects of the extreme rule of law breakdown in Syria, and failure on the part of the international community to deal with it swiftly and effectively, will continue to be felt for some time to come. In the meantime, the complex process of transitional justice in post-conflict Syria is underway. This will need to balance accountability with stability and integrate international support with domestic institutions. Acts of vengeful retaliation and show trials, which would only undermine the legitimacy of the new government, must be avoided. Supporting these and related efforts would be immensely helpful, as they lay the groundwork for stability and trust vital to transitional justice. The international community has surely learnt that it must not look away from Syria again.

Read Global Insight Oct-Nov 2025 edition