Turkish-Syrian border (Wikimedia Commons)

Rebuilding in Syria: Idea for Turkish — Syrian border

S. N. Syed
Nov 5 · 4 min read

The Syrian civil war has continued for nearly a decade. No good ideas for how to peacefully, productively, or positively resolve the crisis have emerged. The recent flareup at the Turkish-Syrian border highlights the lack of coherent and obvious solutions. What follows is an attempt to outline a partial solution to some of the challenges facing the Syrian and others affected by the crisis.

Possible project name: Yeni Halep / New Aleppo / Halab Al Jadeedah

Context:

>Millions of refugees

>Widespread poverty, limited opportunities

>Stressed host countries, crowded cities

>Ethnic tensions

>Creation of new “safe zone”

>Poorly organized or mobilized diaspora

>Unclear desirable “endgame” to conflict (stalemate)

Concept: A new, secure, bi-national, multi-ethnic / multicultural, tri-lingual, democratic, green, mega border city in a special economic zone (perhaps at or near Jarabulus / Karkamis, along the Euphrates), partially in Turkey, partially in the new “safe zone”, where Syrian and other refugees can rebuild for the future

Elements:

Funding

>USD 10+ bn budget (startup capital)

>Financing/funding by some combination of KSA, Qatar, UAE (who all in part somehow fueled in Syria’s destruction), UNHCR, global donations or crowdfunding, China (Belt and Road), Turkey, Kurdish Regional Government

Construction and logistics

>Primarily Syrian and refugee labor, with some % allocation for local Turkish and Kurdish workers (few to no “Imported” beyond key experts)

>Split of contracts between Turkish companies, local entrepreneurs, and companies from financing countries

> ~5 year time horizon for planning, construction of initial phase and ~1 m residents (e.g., requiring 400 50-story, 500-unit residential buildings, plus commercial, infrastructure, industrial, agricultural construction)

>Build on <20 sq mi in a ❤0 sq mi area), ~half in each country

>Construction and population starts on Turkish side, gradually moving to Syrian size as peace/security is established

Defense

>Strict controls in and out of the city (for security), with some fortification by design and limited access points

>Car-free city (for security)

>Missile defense shield (and other defensive elements), managed by Turkey

Basic needs

>Energy from solar arrays and hydroelectric generation

>Water from Euphrates

>Wastewater recycling

>Food from vertical/hydroponic farms as well as purchased from nearby Turkish and Syrian farms

Economy

>Special trade zone (e.g., with preferred trade access to EU, US, Russia, CN, MENA, etc. for specified period of time ~10–15 years)

>Special tax and economic zone (within Turkey and Syria)

>Refugees will primarily be employed in construction during the initial phase, fueling various ancillary sectors (e.g., food, restaurants, retail, schools, hotels, materials)

>Eventually, output from a knowledge-based economy would be the primary exports from an otherwise mostly self-contained or circular regional economic ecosystem

>To start, official currency will be USD (or pegged to USD), presuming the majority of financing capital will be in USD (also may be a local crypto-currency, to facilitate local economy)

Governance

>Overseen by Turkey (Governor General?) at a high level

>Autonomous management of local affairs by locally elected, representative city council and mayor

>Potential electoral infrastructure for “government in exile” or free and fair referenda on various Syria related issues (e.g., any peace deal) [separate from local administration]

>Basic rights and responsibilities for all residents (including swift and smooth process to enter join community)

Primary objective:

>Provide a stable home, opportunities, safe haven, and voice for millions of displaced Syrian (and other) refugees

Secondary objectives:

>Share an intermediate, hopeful vision or what a positive outcome from this conflict could look like

>Enable peaceful, desirable outcome to at least some of the current conflicts

>Empower Syrian refugee community (with jobs, income, housing, property, voice, votes, education, future)

>Provide a haven for Kurdish people to enjoy democracy, exercise some political influence, celebrate language and cultural heritage

>Provide Turkey with a new city and economic engine that can help relieve some of the pressure on Istanbul

>Provide a superior haven for those otherwise stuck nearby under unjust rule (e.g., Assad or various militia) to resettle (where they have an established interested and are not “outsiders”)

>Bring together competing factions and groups in a peaceful framework to jointly build for the future

>Halt and reverse trend of migration toward Europe (at least via Turkey)

Assessment

Winners:

>Syrian refugees and diaspora (economic opportunities; safety in home country; sense of “ownership” and political voice);

>Turkey (reduced pressure from refugees; new economic engine; increased stability; increased FDI; increased regional stability);

>Lebanon (reduced pressure from refugees; increased regional stability);

>Jordan (reduced pressure from refugees; increased regional stability);

>Kurds (special economic opportunities; safety; sense of “ownership” and political voice; new rights);

>EU (reduced influx of refugees; increased regional stability)

>US (increased regional stability; new opportunities to support and build relations with allies [Kurds and Turkey])

Losers:

>? Assad regime?

Barriers: Buy-in from investors, Turkey, refugees, UN, trade partners

Threats: Assad regime; Terrorists; Infiltration; Economy; Infrastructure/Resources

A concept like this will not be easy to realize. Many different pieces and stakeholders would have to come together. Some will even resist such a project. Still, without a positive vision to aspire to, the future looks quite dark, and if this does work, perhaps lessons could even be applied in other areas (e.g., to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict).

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade