Publication date: January 2017
This report is the first-ever survey of Syrians’ views on local truces – offering lessons for how future truces can avoid past mistakes. Among the most important findings of the survey is that most Syrians view the local truces as savage war tactics that force civilians to succumb in the face of starvation and siege, as opposed to viewing them as sustainable peace efforts. “Given the one-sided nature of these truces, respondents do not believe they will lead to real peace – offering a cautionary tale to policymakers seeking to craft a nationwide agreement,” said Mutasem Al-Syoufi, Executive Director of The Day After. Further findings from the survey support this view in alluding to the regime’s main objective of establishing a ‘useful Syria’, whilst pushing all armed and non-armed opponents to the northern countryside where they remain exposed to attacks by both regime and ISIS.
