Syrian security tries to quash dissent in Douma, but residents remain defiant, Jan. 14, 2012. (Elizabeth Arrott/VOA)
Key takeaways
Supporting civil society organizations and their constituencies is crucial to initiating a public discussion about the security sector
Syrian survey respondents are reluctant to allow oversight managed outside civil society organizations or the parliament
Syrians want a police force to provide security for citizens and not offering sole special protection to a political leader
The structure and characteristics of the pre-conflict Syrian security
sector contributed heavily to the outbreak of the Syrian civil war; for
decades, it stood for corruption, discrimination, violent repression, and
large-scale human rights abuses. When the Arab Spring began to unfold in Egypt and
Tunisia in early 2011, a group of Syrian school boys got detained for writing
anti-regime graffiti on a wall in the city of Daraa. For weeks, the boys were
heavily tortured by security forces; a thirteen-year old died. Their families
protested against the detention and treatment of their children, decrying the
violent repression of the Syrian people. The Syrian government responded to the
protests with an even more violent crackdown. Dozens died and every subsequent funeral
turned into another protest that was dispersed by security forces. The situation
eventually escalated into a fully-fledged civil war, involving a myriad of national
and international actors.
As the security sector was one of the major causes of the war in Syria, its
reform needs to be part of the solution.To better address such reform, we conducted a security needs assessment with Syrians in Germany with
the aim of contributing to open-access information on security sector reform (SSR)
in Syria between March and August 2018. The assessment was specifically
designed to understand Syrian citizens’ needs and identify entry points for
citizen-oriented SSR efforts. It analyses how the Syrian security system would
need to change so that Syrians could feel safe and secure in a post-war Syria.
The questionnaire consisted of sixty-three
questions focusing on insecurity and injustice in Syria before and during the
war, the assessment of Syrian state security providers, and visions for an
ideal security sector for post-war Syria. Of the 2,318 Syrians living in
Germany that opened the questionnaire, 619 completed it. Of those that
completed the questionnaire, 88 percent were men and 12 percent were women.
Their ages ranged from seventeen to fifty, with an average age of twenty-nine.
Survey participants mostly held state security forces responsible for repression and violence and perceived family as the major source of protection
Despite a small set of participants, the results showed few felt safe
and secure in Syria before the war. Survey participants mostly held state
security forces responsible for repression and violence and perceived family as
the major source of protection. So, reconstructing infrastructure and social
systems without addressing a repressive security system that is strongly linked
with a partial and unfair justice system is unlikely to achieve sustainable
peace in post-war Syria. This is especially the case for issues related to the
long-lasting war, such as addressing war crimes, compensating victims and
integrating former combatants, including of militias and opposition forces,
into the society.
The challenges of addressing security sector reform
Addressing SSR in Syria is problematic in many ways. First, Syrians are
afraid of speaking about the topic and expressing their opinions. One survey
participant, for example, explained that in Syria, “[i]t was not possible
for any human being to express an opinion contrary to the opinion of the state without
fearing for his/her life and the life of the family.” People regularly
were ‘disappeared’ or imprisoned for speaking out. Syrians that left Syria took
this fear with them.
It was challenging to find a target group to take the survey itself.
Even Syrians in Germany are afraid of risking persecution for expressing their opinions
and sharing information, mainly for relatives and friends in Syria. Some
expressed the fear that the authors might have worked for Syrian security forces
or German institutions responsible for refugees, such as the Federal Office for
Migration and Refugees (BAMF) or the Foreigners’ Authorities of the German
federal states (Ausländerbehörden); which could impact their legal status. In
addition, access to women and girls was particularly challenging. Often, they
told us that security was a “man’s topic” and should not concern them.
SyriaSource provides on-the-ground coverage from local, regional, and international experts with timely news and analysis. It is dedicated to amplifying Syrian voices, alongside Atlantic Council researchers and fellows, to showcase issues most relevant to policymakers and pertinent to local concerns.
Second, the war in Syria is not over yet. The international community
shows interest in SSR, but only made progress on processes dependent on a
political solution. If and how the security sector will undergo reforms also
depends on the will of the future government. When presenting survey results to
national and international stakeholders, we were often told that security was a
highly political topic and that a pure humanitarian engagement was the only
possible way to support Syrians in Syria at the moment. We were told that, in
fact, the security sector touches upon national security matters and who gets
involved in their reform is a political decision.
Third, there is not much information available on the Syrian security
sector and the actual needs of Syrian citizens. This lack of information makes
it even easier to ignore security-related topics when addressing post-war
reconstruction. However, it should not hinder thinking and discussions about
post-war security in Syria and its importance for all other development
sectors.
Given the importance of SSR, to a stable post-war Syria in which all
citizens can be safe and secure, it is imperative that the challenges above be
mitigated. This is why we asked the Syrian diaspora in Germany what would need
to change in terms of security provision in post-war Syria and started a debate
with relevant stakeholders about it.
Elements of a safe post-war environment
Through their answers to the questionnaire,
it is evident that Syrians have clear expectations towards a post-war security
sector in Syria. Most of them did not leave Syria for better job opportunities
or better education, but to live in a safe country that respects human rights.
Survey participants defined a functioning security sector in terms of
overarching principles (e.g. accountability and rule of law) setting the framework
in which security providers could operate and not in terms of quality of service
provision (e.g. effectiveness and efficiency of the security providers). They
made very clear that a security sector that is only efficient and effective is
less important for them than a security sector that can be held accountable for
its actions, abides by the rule of law, and is placed under civilian oversight.
The purpose of a security sector was also crucial in this regard. Survey participants made clear that a security sector that serves citizens contributes to its ability to function. Furthermore, participation was a central element of a functioning security sector for survey participants. Nearly one-fifth of the survey participants rejected the idea of having security institutions that only serve the political leadership. This could mean that this group opposes the politization of security institutions. It could also mean that they reject an exclusive use of the security institutions for specific actors.
Question analysis
Of all the questions
asked in the questionnaire, reactions to the statement “security officials who
commit crimes against citizens should be brought to court” received the highest
number of consent: 99 percent fully agreed and 1 percent somewhat agreed. The
question was asked in a general manner, implying crimes of the past, the
present, and the future. Before, and especially during the war, security
institutions were responsible for grave and frequent human rights abuses. According
to survey respondents, these crimes need to be addressed one day, embedded in a
national reconciliation process.
In an ideal Syrian
security sector, 91 percent of the survey participants would want the police to
be the entity responsible for providing security for citizens. This means that
nearly all survey participants supported the idea of a centralization of
citizen-oriented security services provided by the police, although they also characterized
the police as responsible for repression and violence before and during the
war. The results show that survey participants wish to have a police force that
actually responds to their needs. That survey participants reacted so positively
to questions regarding a future Syrian police force is blessing and curse at the
same time. On the one hand, Syrians might react optimistically regarding police
reform. On the other hand, if reforms do not achieve positive results in a
short period of time, citizens might get very disappointed and project this disappointment
on the whole security sector and its reform.
When we asked if there
should be specific security providers only serving the protection of the
president, two-thirds of the survey participants responded negatively. It might
be that participants would fear for the independence of the security sector if
there was a specific force just serving the president, especially because such a
force could also be used for political persecution of opponents. It could also
be that survey participants refused the idea of offering special protection to
a political leader while many of them live in insecurity themselves.
Decentralized decision-making
Survey participants opted
for decentralized decision-making when it comes to the security of citizens. In
a post-war Syria, 52 percent fully agreed and another 30 percent somewhat agreed
to the statement that decisions governing the security of citizens should be
taken in the governorates and not in the capital. The results reflect distrust
in a centralized security approach decided by the government in Damascus. Participants
agreeing to the statement think that local decisions better respond to their
needs. When comparing the results from participants from Damascus with those
from Aleppo as well as other governorates, participants from Damascus were less
likely to agree to the statement.
The role of civil society and the parliament
Survey participants attributed
a strong role to civil society and the parliament in charge of oversight: 76
percent chose civil society and while 73 percent chose the parliament. In
comparison, the Ministry of Interior only reached 37 percent, making it the
highest ranked government institution. The results show that survey
participants are reluctant regarding oversight not managed by civil society or
the parliament. This means that both parliament and civil society are needed in
overseeing the security sector. It is necessary to assess whether they have
sufficient capacities to exercise this oversight role or if they need further
training.
Little hope for reconstruction and reconciliation without SSR
With hostilities in
Syria nearing their end, reconstruction is becoming more relevant every day. The
issue remains political and questions continue about the actors involved and
what foreign efforts will entail. However, reconstruction cannot be overlooked
for Syrians’ human security conditions to improve. A continuity of the
pre-conflict security sector set-up will inevitably entrench the conditions
that led to the outbreak of the conflict.
Recommendations:
In order to improve the human security conditions of Syrians and to stronger
incorporate security considerations in overall reconstruction efforts for
Syria, we recommend the following steps:
Further analyze the security needs of the
population – be it in Syria or in host countries, through quantitative
surveying and focus group discussions, etc.,
Support civil society organizations and their
constituencies to initiate a public discussion about the future of the security
sector in Syria, including its institutional set-up, goals, budget allocations,
accountability mechanisms, complaint systems, etc.,
Strengthen civil society groups and media
outlets outside Syria to establish a platform for diaspora Syrians to debate
and exchange on reform priorities for their country,
Ensure that any SSR or disarmament,
demobilization, and reintegration (DDR) process is linked to reconciliation
based on lessons learned from other conflicts where crimes were committed in
conflicts with members of security forces,
Support the Syrian civil society actors in the
Syrian constitutional committee in adequately addressing all constitutional
issues linked to the security needs of the civilian population,
Prepare for SSR scenario planning, in case a
political window of opportunity allows engaging in the reform of the Syrian
security sector towards improved accountability, transparency,
citizen-orientation, and a stronger foundation on international principles of
the rule of law.
Nora-Elise Beck and Lars Döbert have worked on SSR in the Middle East. Together, they founded Lanosec, a consulting organization for SSR and good governance.
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