Planning for "The Day After" in Syria

A group of 45 Syrian opposition figures, in a project sponsored by the United States Institute for Peace and the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), have proposed an outline for charting a transition to democracy in Syria when and if the Asad regime falls. Called "The Day After Project," a summary of the report can be found here in a USIP/SWP "Comment," (PDF) while the full report from the Syrian group is here (PDF). The Day After Project's website is here; and a New York Times report is here.

Having some sort of blueprint for the day after the fall is essential; the experiences of Iraq and Libya show the problems of ad hoc responses (though plans existed for Iraq, but were not followed). The project report appears promising, but of course reaching the Day After will be neither easy nor quick, and the greater the violence in reaching that moment, the more difficult implementing even the best laid plans may be.