Politics in Syria: Mapping Active Political Parties and Movements
For several decades, political activity in Syria was largely restricted to the Arab Socialist Ba’ath Party, operating within the framework of the National Progressive Front. However, the 2011 Syrian uprising paved the way for a resurgence of political diversity, enabling the rise and growth of numerous new coalitions, parties, and movements. The initial peaceful demonstrations, followed by armed conflict, were powerful enough to instigate significant structural changes, impacting the traditional Syrian political landscape and leading to the formation of various new blocs, parties, movements, and opposition groups that previously had no involvement in politics. This period also saw the emergence of armed factions and political and civil entities with substantial influence and diverse ideological orientations. Since 2018, the number of political entities across different areas of control has been on the rise.
The political and civil landscape in Syria has shaped the nature of public affairs, defining the objectives and organizational structures of active political entities and their participation in collective alliances. These parties vary in their intellectual and ideological leanings, encompassing nationalist, religious, leftist, and liberal perspectives. The past decade has witnessed the emergence of new forms of political engagement, including regional parties with ethnic affiliations, particularly noticeable in eastern Syria and As-Suwayda.
This report, authored by Manhal Barish, offers insight into the current Syrian political climate by identifying the key players and circumstances that have given rise to these new entities. Through the lens of the aforementioned political structures, it provides a comprehensive overview of the political movements, parties, and forces, positioning each within the Syrian political arena. This document is part of a broader research effort led by IMPACT Research to delve into the Syrian political realm, examining its operational dynamics, the ongoing shifts, the interconnectedness of social ties within political projects, the economics of Syrian political entities, and their political culture.
In addition to the report, an interactive database of mapped political parties and movements is available through the link below.
Acknowledgement:
IMPACT would like to thank the research team: Manhal Barish: main researcher, Kheder Khaddour: review and editing, and Dr. Joseph Daher: lead researcher; for their efforts in completing the report.
Special thanks go to the field researchers who remain anonymous for safety and security purposes, and all those who provided data and information to complete the mapping exercise.
We would also like to thank the experts who provided background and technical information to the research team.
Thanks also to the Friedrich Ebert Foundation for partnering and supporting the completion of this report.
Special thanks go to the Docstream team for translation, editing, and proofreading services.
Active political parties and movements in Syria
Disclaimer:
The interactive database and the report draw on primary and secondary data collected through direct interviews with members of mapped political entities, experts, and publicly available resources.
Although IMPACT exerted efforts to review, clean, and verify information, a margin of error is expected, as some information might be outdated or inaccurate.
If any of those entries are wrong, incomplete, or missing, please inform us using the reporting form; We will verify the provided information and update the dataset accordingly.
