This seminar series is dedicated to the unfolding conflict and human catastrophe in Syria. The Syrian conflict started in 2011 as a popular and pacific uprising against the regime of Bashar al-Asad. It mutated into an armed conflict between numerous opposition armed groups and the Asad regime. External actors have since started to intervene, either directly in support of the Damascus regime, or indirectly in support of some of the very diverse armed groups of the opposition. Since Russia stepped directly onto the military scene in 2015, the conflict has entered a new phase, characterised by the central role played by external powers in propping up the Asad regime, and the sidelining of all peace talks and other political processes. The Syrian population is bearing the brunt of this conflict. Estimates vary as to the number of civilian deaths directly linked to the conflict, but they could reach more than 300,000. Poverty affects four in five Syrians. This seminar series aims to shed light on different aspects of the Syrian conflict in order to provide a better understanding of it. It also discusses the consequences of the situation in Syria for the international community, for humanitarian organisations, but also for the legal infrastructures put in place since the Second World War with regard to international humanitarian laws, human rights, and refugee protection.

The seminar series is supported by the Maison Française d’Oxford.

James Darcy has more than 20 years’ experience of working in the humanitarian sector. As Humanitarian Coordinator at Oxfam GB in the 1990s, he oversaw programmes in East and Central Africa, the Balkans, the Middle East, and South and East Asia. Subsequently, as director of the Humanitarian Policy Group at ODI in London, and then Senior Research Fellow, he specialized in needs assessment, food security, civilian protection and the analysis of aid-related risk. He was closely involved in the development of the Sphere Minimum Standards and was responsible for drafting the related Humanitarian Charter. James now practices as a freelance consultant, conducting humanitarian response evaluations and organizational reviews for international non-governmental organizations and United Nations agencies. He is lead consultant for the UN-commissioned Whole of Syria Review.