Executive Summary
The end of international sanctions has removed a significant burden weighing on the shoulders of Syria – a burden that has long thwarted the country’s path to economic recovery, and the revitalisation of its social and economic sectors. And yet, numerous challenges continue to hamper Syria’s path to reconstruction and lasting stability. The country urgently needs to establish security, civil peace, and political stability. It must rebuild national and community cohesion and foster a spirit of solidarity. The new government has the unenviable task of reconstructing ruined infrastructure, while combatting unemployment and poverty – and promoting scientific and technological development across Syrian society. Despite these formidable obstacles, a society emerging from six decades of tyranny and oppression, armed with a renewed sense of unity and awareness, has the capacity to rise to the occasion.
Syrians have yet to articulate a clear vision for their future and their role in shaping their country’s future; largely because the tyrannical regime consistently met their aspirations with violence and destruction. Today, they are called upon to craft this vision through national dialogue and constitutional process. Reconstruction must not be regarded as a technical process left solely to the initiatives of ruling authorities, individuals, or civil society. To do so would squander this unique moment, full of potential, vitality, and transformative power. As we anticipate the emergence of a national vision, every effort toward reform and reconstruction must be guided by a holistic, forward-looking perspective.
This paper offers a set of views and proposals grounded in the belief that our actions today will play a crucial role in shaping the Syria of tomorrow. We do not have the luxury of time for prolonged reflection; the process of reformation, toward a viable and forward-looking vision must begin now. Syria today has a rare opportunity to restructure its devastated productive sectors based on a carefully considered plan for the future, rather than simply rebuilding and operating according to past practices. Within the broader challenge of reconstruction, the energy sector must be of utmost priority and seen as a central driver of the entire process—underpinning efforts toward economic recovery, stability, civil peace, and the restoration of social cohesion.
This paper seeks to address these questions through a systematic study structured into the following sections: Section One: Energy and the Reconstruction Challenge outlines the critical role of energy in development, while Section Two: Pre-2010 Energy Deficiencies contours the history of Syria’s primary energy sources, patterns of production and distribution, and the challenges faced in the years leading up to 2011. Section Three: The Consequences of Armed Conflict and the Control of De Facto Powers provides various estimates of the damage inflicted on the energy sector as a result of the war; and Section Four: Reconstruction and the Prioritisation of the Energy Sector discusses key principles for rebuilding the sector, including sustainability, efficiency, national sovereignty, and economic viability. Finally, Section Five: A Proposed Mechanism for Immediate Action focuses on frameworks for implementation, emphasising partnership, accountability, and achieving national energy security.
The methodology used in this article is rooted in a historical analysis of the sector’s ongoing transformations and supported by surveys and methodological studies conducted in recent years – as well as international scientific research on energy, particularly renewable energy.
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