The Trump Administration announced on May 13 that it would lift sanctions on Syria with certain conditions, including the destruction of any remaining chemical weapons and cooperation on counterterrorism. This could be the lifeline the country needs to begin to rebuild and move towards a more democratic future.
After the fall of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad’s regime in 2024, an interim government was formed under President Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former rebel commander. Hind Kabawat, a prominent women’s rights defender and staunch opponent of authoritarianism, is currently the only woman holding a Syrian ministerial position. Her appointment as minister of social affairs and labor was good news – but just a starting point for Syria’s new leaders if they want to move beyond the country’s history of excluding women.
The interim government has also tapped a few women for the constitutional reform process: Two female law experts, Raya’an Kahilan and Bahia Mardini, served on the seven-member committee responsible for drafting the constitution.
Syria needs to do more to guarantee that women will take active roles in civil society. This is important because society benefits when women have a seat at the table. Women-led movements are more peaceful and more likely to achieve democratic change. Higher gender diversity in governments and private organizations leads to decreased corruption and increased transparency and success. And when women hold leadership positions, the risk of state-perpetuated human rights abuses declines.
Gender equity is one of the most powerful tools to combat the rise of authoritarianism and extremism and decline of human rights worldwide. Authoritarian regimes depend on patriarchy to maintain power and control of the population, and when women are empowered, autocracy cannot survive. Societies flourish when women hold active roles, and supporting women also supports a freer and more prosperous world. Strengthening women’s rights therefore is crucial to advancing American values globally.
Kabawat was a vocal critic of Assad, accusing his regime of only giving women “cosmetic” roles in society. She was exiled in 2011 for her political activism, but in 2015 founded Tastakel, a nonprofit focused on building a democratic Syria by training women in interfaith dialogue and conflict resolution. A lawyer and economist, she served as deputy director of the Geneva office of the Syrian Negotiations Committee from 2017 to 2022.
Since Assad’s regime fell in December, there have been both international and internal calls for amplifying women’s voices in the new government. On her first day in office as a minister, Kabawat told interim President al-Sharaa that more women need to be involved in the government. The transitional government has in turn promised to increase female representation and protect women’s rights. Still, broader practical implementation has been slow, which worries activists.
Assad maintained power in Syria for more than 13 years, during which women often faced discrimination and systematic inequality. And there are fears that interim President al-Sharaa’s government may only worsen rights for women in the country.
President al-Sharaa was the former head of the Islamist opposition group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), an affiliate of al-Qaida in Syria until 2016, which was designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. in 2018. With the fall of the Assad regime, HTS was officially dissolved and absorbed by state institutions. As a Salafi-jihadist organization, HTS did not have a strong track record regarding women and minority rights, but there is reason to be hopeful. In creating his new government, President al-Sharaa included religious and ethnic minorities in his cabinet of 23 ministers. But his link to HTS shouldn’t be overlooked, and the last 13 years of conflict have left the country in a precarious economic position with very little remaining infrastructure.
The George W. Bush Institute’s policy recommendations on women’s advancement provide a roadmap on what should happen next:
To ensure that President al-Sharaa keeps his promises of inclusion and commitment to democratic ideals, the United States and its allies should push for greater inclusion of women in decision-making roles and increase investments in capacity-building opportunities that support women leaders. Women have an important role to play in the rebuilding of Syria and its transition to a democracy. Including women in the interim government is a positive step towards lasting peace and democracy in the country.
Elevating a woman like Kabawat is a good sign, but hopefully only the beginning for broader stability and change. These early steps toward gender inclusivity matter, but only if the government remains committed to improving and safeguarding the rights of women in the country permanently.
Actions speak louder than words. The international community should hold President al-Shaara and his government to its promises.
