The Al-Bayan Center for Studies and Planning has published a policy paper authored by Dr. Ali Bashar Bakr, a lecturer in the Department of International Relations at the College of Political Science, University of Mosul. The paper is titled: “Strategic Challenges Emerging from Syria: How Should Iraq Handle the Syrian File After Assad?” and was published on 8 April 2025.

The new geopolitical balance that emerged in the post-Al-Aqsa Flood phase has imposed new challenges on the broader Middle Eastern environment. The fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime at the end of 2024 came as a resounding shock to many regional and international powers. However, the greater shock came in the way the international community dealt with a group that had previously been listed as a terrorist organization in several countries around the world. A radical shift occurred in the international community’s stance, culminating in its recognition of this group as the legitimate representative of the new Syria after Assad.

In response, the college’s deanery congratulated the lecturer on this scholarly achievement and wished him—and all faculty members—continued excellence and success in serving the college, the university, and the city, by the will of God.