Syria’s Constitutional Declaration: Milestone or Stumbling Block?

The MENA Program at Sciences Po, in collaboration with Sciences Po Law School, is pleased to invite you to an interdisciplinary roundtable discussion on:

Syria’s Constitutional Declaration: Milestone or Stumbling Block?

On March 13, Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa issued an interim constitutional declaration intended to serve as a framework for Syria’s governance over the next five years. Introduced in the context of protracted conflict, foreign occupation, severe economic sanctions, and ongoing internal fragmentation, the declaration has raised critical questions about its intent and potential consequences.

This roundtable will explore the declaration’s legal and political implications, assessing whether it constitutes a genuine step toward inclusive governance and institutional reform—or whether it functions primarily as a strategic move to entrench existing power structures.

By bringing together scholars and practitioners with expertise in constitutional law, Middle Eastern politics, and regional dynamics, the discussion will offer a nuanced analysis of what this document reveals about Syria’s evolving post-conflict trajectory and prospects for long-term stability.

Chair: Sanaa Alsarghali, Visiting Professor at Sciences Po Law School, Associate Professor of Constitutional law at An-Najah National University, Palestine.

Roundtable Speakers:

• Eberhard Kienle, Director of Research at the Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS); Professor of Politics at Sciences Po Paris (CERI)
• Helena Alviar García, Full Professor, Sciences Po Law School
• Dima Moussa, Lawyer, Former drafting committee member/Founding member of the Syrian Women’s Political Movement
• Zaid Al Ali, Senior Program Manager, Constitution Building of the Arab Region-International IDEA/Visiting Scholar, Princeton University
• Aghiad Ghanem, PhD in International Relations, academic advisor PSIA
• Alia Aoun, Lawyer at the Paris Bar; Counsel at the International Criminal Court, adjunct professor at PSIA
• Sana Mustafa, No-Profit leader and Syrian feminist Human Rights defender/ member of the Syrian women political movement
• Nadim Houry, Executive Director, Arab Reform Initiative