Syria: What Next?
27 February 2025, 6:15 pm–7:30 pm

Leading experts speak as part of our Policy & Practice seminar series. Free to attend and open to all.
This event is free.
Event Information
Open to
- All
Availability
- Yes
Cost
- Free
Organiser
-
Eleanor Kingwell-Banham – UCL Political Science
Location
-
G.06Institute of Archaeology31-34 Gordon SqLondonWC1H 0PYUnited Kingdom
Syria stands at a pivotal crossroads, confronting a complex web of geopolitical tensions, security challenges, and pressing demands for justice.
Join us for this Policy and Practice seminar to hear from a panel which will delve into the intricate dynamics shaping Syria's future, encompassing the regional power plays, the evolving role of non-state actors, and the pursuit of accountability for human rights violations.
Meet the speakers
Sir John Jenkins is the Joint Strand Leader for the Middle East at the University of Cambridge’s Centre for Geopolitics and an Associate Fellow at the Royal Institute for International Affairs. A former senior diplomat, he served as Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Syria and Burma, Consul-General in Jerusalem and as the British Special Representative to the National Transitional Council and later Ambassador to Libya during the 2011 revolution, among other positions during his 35-year long career at the Foreign Office. He is also a Senior Fellow at Policy Exchange, where he has written extensively on extremism, including Islamism and Islamophobia.
Dr Burcu Ozcelik is a Senior Research Fellow for Middle East Security within the International Security department at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI). Her research focuses on political theories of recognition, reconciliation and democratisation, the crisis and evolution of state sovereignty, the role of non-state actors, extremist ideologies, and the politics of borders and territoriality in the Middle East. She previously also worked with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Chair: Dr Julie Norman is an Associate Professor in Politics and International Relations at the UCL Department of Political Science. She is also a Senior Associate Fellow (International Security/Middle East) at RUSI, and she coordinates UCL's Israel-Palestine Initiative.

This event will be recorded and the video will be uploaded to our YouTube channel.
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Accessibility
- The corridor outside the lecture theatre(s) is sufficiently wide enough (150cm+) to allow wheelchair users to pass.
- There is step free access into the lecture theatre(s).
- The door opening width(s) is/are 75cm+ for the lecture theatre(s).
- There are designated spaces for wheelchair users within the lecture theatre(s), located at the back.
- There is level access to the designated seating from an entrance.
- There is space for an assistance dog.
- There is a hearing assistance system for the lecture theatre(s).
- There is not a visual fire alarm beacon in the lecture theatre(s).
For more accessiblity info and an access guide please visit Accessable
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