A Syrian businessman who has worked for more than a decade to bolster civil society in his war-torn country has called on the international community – and the US in particular – to “stay with Syria” after the fall of Bashar Al Assad.
“It's not going to be a western type of democracy from day one. But it’s moving towards a democratic system, and a stable Syria is going to be very helpful to everyone, because it will curb Iran's influence in the region,” Ayman Asfari told The National in an exclusive interview.
Mr Asfari, the former chief executive of Petrofac, is the founder of Madaniya, an initiative led and funded by Syrians that aims to support the civic space in Syria and engage civil society in the political process.
A vocal critic of former president Mr Al Assad, he lobbied hard for years for international intervention in Syria. In 2013, the Syrian regime issued an arrest warrant for Mr Asfari, accusing him of funding the regime's opponents and “supporting terrorism”.
He described Syria's current state as fragile, akin to a critically ill patient, vulnerable to minor ailments.
“The situation in the country is very, very fragile, and any negative influence or interference could set us back quite a bit,” he said. “If we learnt anything from the last 50 years, is we do not want a system that we rely on an individual. We want an inclusive system where there are checks and balances for the power and authority of any individual, including [Syria’s de facto leader] Ahmad Al Shara.”
Mr Asfari added: “Power corrupts absolutely.”
As Donald Trump prepares to retake the White House, Mr Asfari called on the president-elect to re-evaluate Washington's engagement strategy with Damascus.
“We need engagement. I think the Trump administration has to engage positively in helping us manage this transition,” he said. “The worry that I have is that the US is looking at Syria only from the point of view of counter-terrorism, and they're only concerned about the issue of the re-emergence of ISIS.”
Last month, while Mr Trump met global leaders in Paris, armed fighters from Hayat Tahrir Al Sham entered Damascus, completing their overthrow of the Assad regime. But Mr Trump has shown little interest in deepening US involvement in Syria, stating on his Truth Social network: “Syria is a mess but is not our friend.”
Currently, about 2,000 US troops are stationed in Syria, their mission focusing on countering ISIS and supporting the Syrian Democratic Forces, a Kurdish-led coalition of militias.
Regardless of which way Washington turns, Mr Asfari hopes for a new and inclusive transitional government and the drafting of the constitution that prevents any rise of dictatorship akin to the Assad regime.
“What we don't want is a is a new government led by him [Mr Al Shara] and HTS, where you have members that are there … with no effective power. I'm hoping it will be genuinely representative and truly inclusive in order for it to be able to manage this very, critical and very difficult transition the next few years,” he said.
He believes Mr Al Shara, once an extremist who now advocates for pluralism and tolerance, will moderate his views even more, because Syrians are “pretty moderate, and many of them are conservative Muslims, but they don't want an Islamist regime”.
Mr Al Shara said in a recent interview with Al Arabiya that elections in Syria could take four years.
Mr Asfari also voiced concerns about the potential pitfalls of rushing into early elections in a nation lacking strong institutions or civil society.
“You would have possibly some of the wealthy people who have stolen money from the country, some of the Assad cronies. They could put money in a system which is fragile like this, and they could legitimise a candidate who's not acceptable,” he said.
During the roughly 13 years of civil war in the country, Mr Asfari expressed his support and contributed financially to the Syrian civil defence organisation known as the White Helmets, which lobbied for no-bombing zones to create safe areas for civilians under threat from Mr Al Assad and Russian aerial attacks.
With Mr Al Assad now gone, Mr Asfari said the White Helmets should integrate into the State Civil Defence Force and provide support for people across the country.
“The work that they are doing the last few years has been demining, taking out mines and providing humanitarian relief support. They've built an organisation that has been very effective in providing the Civil Defence support the areas where the regime didn't exist,” he explained.
As to his own future, Mr Asfari said he plans “to be part of the new Syria”, highlighting his readiness to leverage his expertise in business to attract foreign direct investment to aid in the country's reconstruction.
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
TOURNAMENT INFO
Opening fixtures:
Friday, Oct 5
8pm: Kabul Zwanan v Paktia Panthers
Saturday, Oct 6
4pm: Nangarhar Leopards v Kandahar Knights
8pm: Kabul Zwanan v Balkh Legends
Tickets
Tickets can be bought online at https://www.q-tickets.com/apl/eventlist and at the ticket office at the stadium.
TV info
The tournament will be broadcast live in the UAE on OSN Sports.
Company profile
Date started: January, 2014
Founders: Mike Dawson, Varuna Singh, and Benita Rowe
Based: Dubai
Sector: Education technology
Size: Five employees
Investment: $100,000 from the ExpoLive Innovation Grant programme in 2018 and an initial $30,000 pre-seed investment from the Turn8 Accelerator in 2014. Most of the projects are government funded.
Partners/incubators: Turn8 Accelerator; In5 Innovation Centre; Expo Live Innovation Impact Grant Programme; Dubai Future Accelerators; FHI 360; VSO and Consult and Coach for a Cause (C3)
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
Chatham House Rule
A mark of Chatham House’s influence 100 years on since its founding, was Moscow’s formal declaration last month that it was an “undesirable
organisation”.
The depth of knowledge and academics that it drew on
following the Ukraine invasion had broadcast Mr Putin’s chicanery.
The institute is more used to accommodating world leaders,
with Nelson Mandela, Margaret Thatcher among those helping it provide
authoritative commentary on world events.
Chatham House was formally founded as the Royal Institute of
International Affairs following the peace conferences of World War One. Its
founder, Lionel Curtis, wanted a more scientific examination of international affairs
with a transparent exchange of information and ideas.
That arena of debate and analysis was enhanced by the “Chatham
House Rule” states that the contents of any meeting can be discussed outside Chatham
House but no mention can be made identifying individuals who commented.
This has enabled some candid exchanges on difficult subjects
allowing a greater degree of free speech from high-ranking figures.
These meetings are highly valued, so much so that
ambassadors reported them in secret diplomatic cables that – when they were
revealed in the Wikileaks reporting – were thus found to have broken the rule. However,
most speeches are held on the record.
Its research and debate has offered fresh ideas to
policymakers enabling them to more coherently address troubling issues from climate
change to health and food security.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
- Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Global Fungi Facts
• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Buckingham Murders
Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu
Director: Hansal Mehta
Rating: 4 / 5
more from Janine di Giovanni
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
