Kelman Seminar: When Wars End Without Settlement: Syria and the Crisis of Post-War Bargaining
The Herbert C. Kelman Seminar on International Conflict Analysis and Resolution presents:
When Wars End Without Settlement: Syria and the Crisis of Post-War Bargaining
A virtual talk with:
Dr. Ibrahim Al-Assil
Senior Research Fellow
The Middle East Initiative at Harvard Kennedy School
Tuesday, March 10, 2026
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm ET (US and Canada)
Free and open to the public.
Register for the webinar here.
About the Talk:
This talk examines how the Syrian war formally ended through a military campaign in late 2024 without producing a political settlement. While large-scale fighting concluded, the conflict did not close with a negotiated bargain over power, authority, or the future structure of the Syrian state. Drawing on field engagement, Track II dialogues, and the author’s recent research, the talk shows how military victory, selective normalization, ceasefire arrangements, and external economic and diplomatic opening have substituted for genuine political bargaining, locking in fragmented and informal power structures rather than generating an agreed political order.
About the Speaker:
Ibrahim Al-Assil is a Senior Research Fellow at the Middle East Initiative at Harvard Kennedy School, where he launched and leads the Syria Transition Lab. His work examines geopolitics and political transition, and their implications for political order. He has advised U.S., European, and regional policymakers, testified at the United Nations, and participated in multiple Track II dialogues on regional security, including co-designing and co-leading a U.S.–Gulf Track II initiative. He previously served as a professorial lecturer in political science at George Washington University and has held fellowships at Harvard Center for Public Leadership, the Middle East Institute, and the Atlantic Council.
About the Herbert C. Kelman Seminar Series:
The Herbert C. Kelman Seminar on International Conflict Analysis and Resolution series is sponsored by the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School and The Weatherhead Center for International Affairs.
For more information, contact Donna Hicks at dhicks@wcfia.harvard.edu.
Accommodation Statement:
The Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School (PON) is committed to providing access, equal opportunity, and reasonable accommodation(s) for persons with disabilities in connection with its programs and activities. Accommodations must not fundamentally alter applicable PON programming and are not retroactive.
Event participants should request accommodations at least two weeks prior to the start date of a program or event, as accommodations may take time to implement. Please note that PON will make every effort to secure services, but these are subject to availability.
To request accommodations please e-mail ponevents@law.harvard.edu.
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