Syria at a Crossroads: Reckoning with Captagon, Refugees, and Regional Dynamics

After more than a decade, the Syrian conflict has largely but not entirely drawn to a close, leaving the country devastated and the Bashar Assad government in financial ruin. Protests over economic destitution in the country’s South and continued unrest in the country’s North demonstrate the regime’s fragility. Recent reports have revealed Syria as a narco-state, with Assad using Captagon — an amphetamine-type stimulant drug — to keep his cash-strapped government and allies, including family, afloat through the generation of billions of dollars while fueling addiction in countries including Jordan, Iraq, and the wealthy Gulf states.

At this event, an expert panel assessed Syria’s attempts to emerge from a decade of ostracism and normalize relations with other Middle Eastern countries. They focused on 1) the Captagon trade and its implications, 2) an “Arab solution” to the Syrian refugee crisis, and 3) Syria’s positioning in the Israel-Hamas war, its professed solidarity with Gaza, and the Iranian/Hezbollah posture in Syria.

This event was sponsored by the Baker Institute Edward P. Djerejian Center for the Middle East.

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