Publications

Rwanda, Syria, and the Politics of Victory

Syria is not Rwanda. The two conflicts differ in scale, tempo, structure, and historical setting. Of course, any comparison that ignores those differences collapses into shorthand. But the point here is to ask: on the 15th anniversary of the Syrian Revolution, what does this comparison reveal about the political uses of fear? In this article, I use this comparison to think about Syria's likely political trajectory. I don't say Syria is repeating Rwanda; however, I think the comparison still helps us see how authoritarian power weaponises fear and how post-conflict states can reproduce domination in new forms.