The Confused Podcast Series

Noor Mousa & Rachel Sider
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This is the Confused Podcast Series, which features Confused About Syria, Confused About Yemen, and Confused Iraqi podcasts. The series aims to make complex conflict contexts more human, accessible, and honest. If you’re looking for quick answers about the Middle East and conflict, this may not be the podcast series for you. But If you’re looking to slow down, listen, and sit with complexity, then welcome :) c358521e5d52ebbb92bde880aafca44335cd82b3

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  1. Episode 1 | Syria Beyond the War

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    Episode 1 | Syria Beyond the War

    Before headlines, before labels, and before 2011, there was a country steeped in culture, memory, and humanity. In this first episode of Confused About Syria, we leave behind the all-too-common conflict framing to talk about Syria as a place of beauty and diversity – its people, landscapes, identities, and daily life – and consider why understanding this is crucial to making sense of everything that played out in recent years. Drawing on personal experiences, lived encounters, and years of working across the region, we reflect on first impressions of Syria, reconcile reality with outside narratives, and recall how fear, repression, beauty, humour, and survival have long coexisted. We talk about Syria’s social fabric and regional connectedness and the dangers of reducing people to simplified labels in moments of crisis. This episode is an invitation to slow down, unpack assumptions, and engage with Syrian society prior to the contemporary conflict, the full understanding of which cannot be understood without such a foundation. 🎧 In this episode: Syria beyond war-time headlinesCulture, identity, and diversityGeography and regional connectionsHow fear and choice shape everyday lifeWhy labels fail people living through conflictThis is the first of a five-episode series. Next episode: how 2011 unfolded and why it didn’t start in a vacuum. Further readings & resources:Khaled Khalifa, No Knives in the Kitchens of This CityAkram Fouad Khater, The Syrian People: A HistoryAlia Malek, The Home That Was Our Country: A Memoir of Syria Martha Neff Kessler, Syria: Fragile Mosaic of PowerJordi Tejel, Syria’s Kurds: History, Politics and Society

    34 Min.
  2. Episode 2 | From Protest to Civil War

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    Episode 2 | From Protest to Civil War

    In Episode 2, we trace how Syria’s 2011 uprising moved from broadly inclusive, peaceful protests rooted in demands for dignity, economic opportunity, and basic freedoms into a prolonged and devastating civil conflict.  The conversation also looks at displacement across the region including in Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, and Iraq and how host country policies and approaches shaped refugee experiences. Throughout the episode, we draw explicit lessons from Iraq as a cautionary tale about the dangers and long-term damage of sectarian narratives. Suggested Reading:Wendy Pearlman (2017), We Crossed a Bridge and It Trembled: Voices from SyriaRobin Yassin-Kassab & Leila al-Shami (2016), Burning Country: Syrians in Revolution and WarChristopher Phillips (2016), The Battle for Syria: International Rivalry in the New Middle EastKelley et al. (2015), “Climate change in the Fertile Crescent and implications of the recent Syrian drought”World Bank (2015), The Welfare of Syrian Refugees: Evidence from Jordan and LebanonFanar Haddad (2011), Sectarianism in Iraq: Antagonistic Visions of UnityNikolaos van Dam (2017), Destroying a Nation: The Civil War in Syria

    42 Min.
  3. Episode 3 | Reflections on the December 8th Offensive in Syria

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    Episode 3 | Reflections on the December 8th Offensive in Syria

    In this episode, Noor Mousa and Rachel Sider discuss the events surrounding December 8, 2024 in Syria and the internal and external pressures that triggered the collapse of the Assad government. They examine Syrians’ diverse reactions, the psychological toll of war on civilians and aid workers, and the damage wrought by rumors and misinformation. The conversation underscores the need for trust, inclusion, and lessons learned from Iraq as Syria faces an uncertain future. Noor offers an insider’s view of the chaotic days leading up to Bashar al-Assad’s flight and recounts the reactions of neighbors, colleagues, and ordinary Syrians. This moment matters because ignoring its nuances means ignoring the deep divisions, persistent fears, and human stories at the heart of Syria’s ongoing transition. The episode offers crucial insight for anyone who wants to understand current complexities and fragilities, how we got here, and the urgent need for inclusive, participatory processes in the years ahead. Dive into the raw realities of Syria’s turning point - an episode that challenges assumptions, sparks reflection, and highlights why active engagement is essential to rebuilding trust and unity in Syria’s current chapter. Keywords: Syria, conflict, humanitarian aid, Bashar al-Assad, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, December 8, 2024, Syrian society, international response, trust, misinformation Recommended read:  The Syria Campaign - Deadly Disinformation / Silencing Effect hubTIMEP -  “Truth in Transition: Disinformation in Post-Assad Syria” (Jan 30, 2025)Reuters | Israel says it destroyed most of Syria’s strategic weapons stockpiles; details + rationale (Dec 10, 2024)

    47 Min.
  4. Episode 4 | Syria One Year On: Fear, Hope, and a Need to Rebuild Trust

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    Episode 4 | Syria One Year On: Fear, Hope, and a Need to Rebuild Trust

    Content Note: This episode discusses identity-based violence, killings, and hate speech. Episode Summary In Episode 4, Noor and Rachel reflect on all that Syria has experienced in the weeks, months, and year-plus since the fall of the Assad government on December 8, 2024. The conversation reckons with two simultaneous truths for many Syrians in public life and online: the sense of possibility and the intense fragility of this transitional period. This is evident in how people move about the country, begin to rebuild, manage difference, and access basic services. The conversation considers efforts to support healing, forgiveness and transitional justice, including the urgency, importance and scale of the challenge. The co-hosts discuss the trust deficit charaterising Syria which affects civil society cooperation, governance reforms and humanitarian aid delivery today and requires long-term support. Suggested Readings: Harmoon Center (PDF, 2025) — Syria’s National Dialogue Conference analysis: https://www.harmoon.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Syrian-National-Dialogue-Conference.pdf OHCHR (5 Dec 2025) — One year after regime change (violations + hate speech): https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-briefing-notes/2025/12/syria-one-year-regime-change-more-should-be-done-stop-violations ICTJ (22 May 2025) — Welcomes Transitional Justice & Missing Persons Commissions: https://www.ictj.org/latest-news/ictj-welcomes-establishment-syria%E2%80%99s-new-national-commissions-transitional-justice-and Syrians for Truth and Justice (26 May 2025) — Hate speech role in March 2025 violence: https://stj-sy.org/en/syria-the-role-of-hate-speech-in-the-massacres-that-took-place-in-the-coastal-region-in-march-2025/ Syria Direct (19 Dec 2025) — Suwayda one year after Assad’s fall: https://syriadirect.org/suwayda-stands-at-a-crossroads-one-year-after-assads-fall/ International Crisis Group (28 Mar 2025) — “The New Syria: Halting a Dangerous Drift”: https://www.crisisgroup.org/brf/middle-east-north-africa/east-mediterranean-mena/syria/b95-new-syria-halting-dangerous-drift ODI HPN (10 Sep 2025) — Humanitarian reform + hub consolidation: https://odihpn.org/en/publication/when-reform-forgets-the-cost-of-humanitarian-amnesia-in-syria/  Follow / Connect: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/confused_podcasts/

    1 Std. 8 Min.
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This is the Confused Podcast Series, which features Confused About Syria, Confused About Yemen, and Confused Iraqi podcasts. The series aims to make complex conflict contexts more human, accessible, and honest. If you’re looking for quick answers about the Middle East and conflict, this may not be the podcast series for you. But If you’re looking to slow down, listen, and sit with complexity, then welcome :) c358521e5d52ebbb92bde880aafca44335cd82b3

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    Noor Mousa & Rachel Sider
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