The NZIIA Wellington Branch is delighted to invite you to a presentation on "Post-Assad Syria: Implications for the Country and the Middle East"

On 7 December 2024, a Syrian opposition group alliance of forces entered Damascus with the Syrian Army surrendering the capital. President Bashar al-Assad left Damascus by air to Moscow, where he was granted asylum sealing the fall of his regime. On 10 December, the transitional administration announced that it would remain in place until 1 March 2025.

Dr Karam Shaar has just returned to New Zealand after a month in Syria after 13 years in exile. Dr Shaar, a renown Syrian expert, will discuss the Fall of Damascus and a Post-Assad Syria covering the implications for the country but also the broader Middle East region.

Event details

Speaker: Dr Karam Shaar, Syrian-New Zealander Economist & Founder, Karam Shaar Consultancy

Date/Time: Wednesday 20 March 5:30-7:00pm

Venue: TBA, Pipitea Campus, Victoria University of Wellington

Doors Open: 5:05pm Q&A will be open to attendees.

Terms and Conditions

-Registrations are required to attend this event. No walk ups allowed. Non members can attend by paying the registration fee.

-Should you have not renewed your NZIIA Wellington 2025 membership please do so prior to registering for this event.

-One ticket per person. Each ticket must contain your full first and surname, email address and phone number that matches your ID.

-All student members must register with their VUW or Massey student email for a valid registration.

-If, after registering, you are unable to attend the event please have the courtesy to cancel your ticket to ensure other people are able to attend. A waitlist will operate.

-In keeping with NZIIA practice, unauthorised recording of this event (either audio or video) is not permitted. Members and guest are reminded to adhere to the NZIIA Code of Conduct.

Biography- Dr. Karam Shaar

Karam Shaar is a Syrian-New Zealander economist holding a bachelor's degree from the University of Aleppo, a master's degree from Universiti Putra Malaysia, and a PhD from Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. He founded Karam Shaar Consultancy Ltd. to provide innovative policy research in the Syrian context. Additionally, he is a co-founding partner of the Observatory of Political and Economic Networks, the largest database of economic and political actors in Syria. Dr. Shaar serves as a Senior Consultant at the World Bank and a Nonresident Senior Fellow at the New Lines Institute in Washington, D.C.

Previously, he was a Nonresident Scholar at the Middle East Institute in Washington and a Senior Analyst at the New Zealand Treasury. His extensive travels have taken him to numerous countries, and before settling in New Zealand, he lived in Syria, Saudi Arabia, and Malaysia. His work on Syria's political economy has been published by Brookings Institution, World Bank, Carnegie Middle East Center, Foreign Policy, The Guardian, and Foreign Affairs. Dr Shaar has been a regular expert on Al Jazeera network.