After the sessions in Sweida and Damascus, the Nation Building Movement launched its third dialogue session in the city of Tartous on Thursday, December 8, 2016, as part of the “Syrian Dialogue Platforms” project, under the title: “Examining strategic options for Syrians.”

The session included public affairs figures and political, civil and cultural forces active in the Syrian coast coming from Safita, Dreikish, Banias, Latakia and Jableh. A rich and diverse discussion took place among the participants, and each of them presented their vision on the topics raised, which were distributed over four main pillars: culture and belonging, the form of the state and government, governance, reconciliations and peace building.

The attendees agreed on the identity and belonging pillar that the national identity has not formed and has not taken shape. Some saw that the political authority has formed a barrier to this development, whether by imposing its ideology or by marginalizing the elites and devoting them to minor identities, which are virtual identities whose role must be ended. If it weren’t for the political problem, these issues would not have been raised, as the current crisis reveals the problem and does not create it. Man, by nature, searches for belonging, and when the political cover is lifted and the state’s protection is absent, he turns to minor identities, especially since the state has failed to produce a national identity, and even fought it. The Baath did not provide a description of the Syrian identity, and today we must produce our own visions away from imported experiences to move from the state of welfare, favors, and vague slogans.

Some saw that the major identities such as Arab nationalism are an illusion, while the Syrian affiliation, quite simply, is the common affiliation that unites us all, while others saw that we do not need to abandon these major identities but rather work to criticize and purify them, and the Syrian identity is not contradictory to other identities but rather is a summary of them, and the classical national theory cannot be taken in and of itself but rather it must be developed by involving others in the national construction, and in any case, national affiliations cannot be achieved without achieving the national identity through the constitution.

It was pointed out that there are countries that are not based on one nation, such as Australia and Canada, where identity is citizenship, and this secular liberal model is successful because it is able to accommodate the other. The state of citizenship is a product of global civilization, and we adhere to it, and it is necessary to saturate the public space with the values ​of freedom and law.​

The attendees noted that it is necessary to have the courage to criticize the prevailing mind and discuss the axioms, as this is the first step towards a solution to establish a new social contract. Moreover, ignoring minor identities does not contribute to the solution, but rather recognizing them, understanding them, working on them, and devoting the logical belonging resulting from science and knowledge in a state of law, as the problem is a problem of absent of thinking and thought.

As for the form of the state and government, the discussion began with a distinction between the modern state and the modernist state, which is necessarily capitalist and in which the authority is democratic and based on civil society, while the modern state, which is not necessarily modern, is based on a rentier economy, authoritarian authority, and civil society.

As for the political system, what is required today is a mixed presidential-parliamentary system of government that allows for political pluralism and at the same time ensures a degree of centralization necessary in times of crisis.

The transition to a modern, democratic, secular state is linked to the extent of the existing authority’s ability to change and create real opposition alternatives. The state is a social bet between the conflicting forces in society, and this conflict is primarily economic, not political. The economy is the engine of social life, so the form of the economy must be determined. There is a need to work from the bottom up and build awareness among the people, as the state that gives you respect becomes your state.

The second day began with the governance pillar, and the discussion revolved around the priority of administrative or political reform. While some considered political reform to be the basis, others focused on the importance of administrative reform in order to build cadres, energies, and a work culture, while there was an opinion that believed in combining the two paths and proceeding with them together within a comprehensive political transition phase. Reform must either be integrated in all sectors, or else it is doomed to failure.

Regarding the role of technology and information, the discussion addressed ways to reach e-government. There are countries where more than 70% of citizens’ transactions are now managed electronically, but there is a fundamental problem related to the data and information necessary for the decision-maker. There are no study centers, an integrated database, and an information bank that has not been completed and needs political will, and there is no sufficient funding for it.

The discussion touched on the importance of adopting competence as a basis for appointment, not loyalty, security studies, and the necessity of setting Syrian standards for production and indicators to measure the performance of the public sector.

There was also a lengthy discussion on the issue of local governance, administrative decentralization and the Local Administration Law. There is a weakness in the human resources that are capable of bearing the responsibilities of administrative decentralization, so it is possible to work on decentralized planning and central implementation. There is an urgent need to strengthen the communications network and exchange information between the center and the regions and ensure the exchange of basic information for decision-making at the local level. The Local Administration Law needs to be activated. For example, the Supreme Council for Local Administration has not met seriously.

There is a real dilemma in the electoral law based on the majority system, which only allows the access of major alliances and whales and prevents the access of emerging and independent forces, which caused a great reluctance to participate. The participation rate in the municipal elections was always low, so it is necessary to adopt a law based on proportionality that contributes to consolidate pluralism.

Decentralization is also very necessary in order to redistribute the population instead of crowding it in large cities that are unable to secure water and food resources. We are in a phase of energy and water depletion, and yet we find entire villages in which the nature of life has changed to become dependent on the production of other raw materials and food after they used to be productive of it, and the local economy is an essential part of overcoming the crisis and building the economic form of the state.

The focus was on the role of the media and its development, which is necessary, especially in light of the flabbiness of the official media and its distance from reality. For example, the local official media in Tartous and Latakia during the session were not aware of everything that happened to the Latakia Provincial Council in the day before and appointing a new council for Latakia.

The main societal carrier of administrative decentralization is the real and effective civil society. Hence, we find the need to address unions, chambers of commerce and industry, and professional associations and restore their real role and remove them from the authority of politics, as the authorities have monopolized unions and even sports and created an imaginary enemy called civil society. There is a need to draft a new law that sponsors civil society organizations and contributes to develop their work, as the connection between civil society and democratic transformation is essential, especially since it does not seek power, unlike political parties. All civil society workshops must take place domestically.

Civil society has the main role in combating corruption through its popular oversight. There is no incubator for corruption within society, and there is no corrupt people and good people. Rather, there are good laws that are applied or laws that are not applied. It is important to address the large gap between the law and its implementation, which is related to skills, capabilities, and political decision-making.

The emphasis was on the importance of targeting the economically active class and working to diversify the sources of the economy, as tourism is not a real economy, but rather industry and agriculture, and the need for a national program for the minimum and setting simple, achievable ambitions without illusions. In any case, serious, diligent and continuous work is what achieves the results, as rights are taken and not given.

Within the pillar of reconciliations, which is considered a summary of the previous pillar, national reconciliation can only be achieved through a long and in-depth program that addresses all aspects of political, cultural, economic and especially social life. Returning to the homeland means returning to society, as society is the homeland and it is not only related to laws and legislation, but also to community initiatives, balanced economic development and a margin of freedoms so that society can heal wounds. Forgiveness for all parties should be the solution, along with compensation, holding meetings and workshops on forgiveness and reconciliation, and listening. The media has an important role in this area, as it is one of the most important carriers of reconciliation in our disintegrated society.

The important question is how do we live after the disaster that has befallen us without working on the form of the state, setting a title for the economy, changing the security thinking, developing the media, and achieving internal security and safety, as external security does not continue and is inevitably falling.

The most important factor in reconciliation is the factor of (trust/fear). Fear must be broken and trust must be achieved through initiative and boldness in raising problems and not being afraid of confrontation. The people’s interest lies in holding the corrupt accountable. It is necessary to work on the ground with the people, as the space of civil society is the largest space to achieve the people’s interest. There are experiences of local activists who gained the people’s trust through local and sports campaigns and were arrested, but the people stood with them and continued their work.

We are in a catastrophic situation and an objective and urgent approach is needed to deal with the emergency situation. It is difficult to present all the possibilities and options at once, as early emergency care requires early resuscitation, and then we deal with long-term treatment.

Dealing with fighters from both sides so that they do not return to armed action, and absorbing them and transferring them to economic work so that they become part of the life cycle instead of returning to armed action.

The historical political leaderships have fallen and we are moving forward with the young generation, and political freedom remains the basic question. The state in its current form is part of the problem, and it is necessary to create the state’s identity through a historical national charter.

There was an opinion from the Baath Party that emphasized the high respect and appreciation for the old national opponents and their distinguished national positions far from revenge and malice during the crisis, and emphasized the importance of such meetings while emphasizing the necessity of involving all voices from societal forces and parties in the dialogue process and respecting the opinion and the other opinion, as the most important thing today is to establish a foundation to prevent the recurrence of what we were exposed to and to benefit from the lessons that were obtained, and there are war merchants and centers of influence that we must work to dismantle.

They also stressed the importance of education in schools and homes, avoiding hypocrisy and societal lies, activating the role of enlightenment parties, meeting with the poor and marginalized, and ensuring that the solution is transparent and intellectual, working to issue precise laws far from interpretation with the participation of societal forces, ensuring the rule of law, and appointing administrations with standards that rely on understanding, manliness, and courage, as our problem lies in the mechanisms of work.

It is noteworthy that this is the third meeting held by the movement within the project to discuss strategic options for Syrians, and other dialogue meetings will be held in the rest of the Syrian provinces and in all places where Syrians are present.