The aftermath of earthquakes in Syria : the regime's political instrumentalisation of a crisis

Abstract

The earthquakes of 6 February impacted around 8.8 million people in Syria and caused massive destruction and damage to infrastructure and residential buildings in the Idlib, Aleppo, Lattakia and Hama governorates. The Syrian regime has exploited the humanitarian crisis to control the organisation and delivery of humanitarian assistance in the country. Syrian officials have also attempted to instrumentalise the natural disaster and its consequences to weaken the country’s political isolation and promote normalisation processes with regional and international actors. In this context, a reconstruction process is once again potentially starting, but significant obstacles exist for it to move forward.