Economist Podcasts Transitional injustice: Syria one year after Assad
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Dec 8, 2025 
Gareth Brown, a Middle East correspondent, discusses Syria's ongoing struggle post-Assad, highlighting sectarian tensions and economic challenges. Carla Subirana, a news editor specializing in social issues, unveils the dark world of sex tourism and human trafficking in Latin America, revealing how organized crime now intertwines with these horrific practices. Aaron Braun, a West Coast correspondent, shares the revival of gold prospecting in California, driven by soaring prices and stormy weather, and the impact on local economies.
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Freedom Without Reconciliation
- Syria's post-Assad era brought freedoms like speech and dismantling of secret police but also growing domestic hardships.
- Gareth Brown warns that economic pain and lack of transitional justice risk fueling violence and fragmentation.
Centralised Power Replaces Institutions
- Ahmad al-Shara centralises power by creating parallel bodies that sideline ministries and lack oversight.
- Gareth Brown sees this as an embryo of a new authoritarian structure that undermines state-building.
Sectarian Hangover Threatens Stability
- Sectarian tensions, especially among Alawites, are resurfacing and causing deadly clashes in coastal areas.
- Exclusion of minorities from power and representation risks insurgency and long-term instability.