Syria: The Day After

✚ The Day After » Supporting a Democratic Transition in Syria

This is the site of a group of 45 intellectuals who drafted a report on what to do in Syria once the Assad regime is gone. It deals with six basic issues:

1. rule of law
2. transitional justice
3. security sector reform
4. electoral reform and forming a constituent assembly
5. constitutional design
6. economic and restructuring policy

From a very quick glance it appears to try to hit all the right notes but give few suggestions on implementation. My biggest question, however, would who amidst the various personalities and groups involved in the insurrection against the Assad regime has signed up to this? And what are the steps envisaged from getting to Assad fleeing the country or being killed to forming a transitional government capable of taking these recommendations on?

There is also much wishful thinking here, such as this puzzling sentence:

Therefore, Syrian leaders must take care to ensure that elections produce not merely democratic (in the sense of majoritarian) results, but rather legitimate results. 

What does that mean?

Update: Some people have had difficulties getting the PDF report from the above-linked site, here is a copy.