'Local reconciliation agreements' in Syria : a non-starter for peacebuilding

Abstract

This paper analyses the local agreements concluded between the government of Syria and opposition bodies in Central Syria in 2016 and 2017 as a policy implemented by the Syrian regime to reclaim control over opposition-controlled areas through military and political pressure aimed at forcing opposition-controlled enclaves to surrender. Since 2016, local agreements have also been one of the instruments used in Russian diplomacy to stabilise and pacify Syria.