Could the Aleppo Agreement be a Model for the Integration of Syria?

COLLEGE STATION, TX (December 15, 2025) – A new White Paper at the Mosbacher Institute discusses the future of Syria after the fall of Bashar Al Assad’s regime in December 2024. The authors, Amy Austin Holmes, Hadeel Oueis, and Samantha Scaringe, argue for inclusion and decentralization of power as a pathway for integration and economic growth. They highlight the current political divide between the interim government in Damascus with stricter and more centralized rule, especially towards women, and the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES), which has made efforts to institutionalize an inclusive government. These competing power blocs were able to find a compromise with the Aleppo Agreement, which could be a model for integrating other contested regions such as the Druze majority province of Suwayda. Leveraging World Bank data, the authors highlight that greater inclusion of women in the economy could lead to a 74% increase in long-run GDP per capita. Therefore, the authors recommend not only decentralization but also inclusion of women in peace processes and political institutions as means to avoid conflict resurgence and promote long-lasting stability.

Mosbacher Institute White Papers are publications of the Mosbacher Institute for Trade, Economics, and Public Policy at the Bush School at Texas A&M University.