July 2019

Executive Summary

The Syrian regime has been significantly tampering with the built environment in Syria over the past
years in order to realise and sustain political achievements. This paper explores this dimension of the
Syrian conflict through the lens of urbicide.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Recent reports of Syrian refugees returning to their home country after several years of civil war raise important issues, one of which being the status of their properties in the country. A recently enacted law called Law No. 10 of 2018 – ostensibly part of benign reconstruction legislation – has proven to be problematic for the millions of Syrians who are refugees, internally displaced or living abroad. This is happening on a scale that affects conflict settlement and the emerging post-war social order, as it shapes the framework for reconstruction and reintegration into the economy and social life. Although several articles have addressed the potential problems raised by this law, there are no analyses that explicitly tackle Law no. 10 from a rule-of-law perspective.