This story is adapted from writer Emily Wither’s recent Rest of World feature, Syria’s quest to build its own Silicon Valley.
For the first time in a long time, Syrian entrepreneurs are hopeful.
The country’s nascent tech scene was put on hold in 2011, when protests against the regime of Bashar al-Assad during the Arab Spring were met with extreme force. Over the next decade, a brutal civil war quickly drew in government forces, rebel groups, Islamist extremists, and foreign powers. Sanctions imposed by the U.S. and other Western powers — intended to limit the regime’s ability to wage the war and push accountability for human rights abuses — left Syrians even more economically isolated.
In December 2024, rebel fighters stormed the capital, Damascus. Assad, whose family had ruled for more than 50 years, fled to Moscow. The collapse of the regime came as a shock to many, both abroad and in the country. Some people who fled as refugees under Assad have begun returning home. Local tech entrepreneurs now express optimism about Syria’s new leader, Ahmad al-Sharaa, who was until recently designated a terrorist by the U.S., but has received cautious praise for showing restraint and statesmanship. He laid out plans for rebuilding a more united Syria, and recently appeared at the UN General Assembly in New York City to call for an end to sanctions on the country.
