Forward Thinking hold roundtable discussion on the Syrian Conflict, 27th April 2016

Forward Thinking convened a closed roundtable to explore the current state of the Syrian Crisis and the current prospects for peace. Discussions sought to unpack the local, regional and international dimensions of the conflict and highlight how these interact. It was stressed that, while the international community and regional powers may be able to devise a solution to the crisis, ultimately it is Syrian actors that will be responsible for implementing any agreement and therefore it is essential to include a wide variety of Syrian voices in negotiations to ensure there is broad buy in.The meeting was well-attended and brought together representatives of the international community, journalists, political activists and academics, contributing to a lively debate. Mohamed Okda, a political consultant, active in the issues of interfaith, crisis mediation, the economics of conflict ,and religious–secular dialogue, provided the opening speech to launch discussions.