Raqqa After the Islamic State: Governance Challenges in Post-ISIS Syria

With the self-proclaimed Islamic State’s hold on Syrian territory vastly diminished, the campaign to defeat the Islamic State (ISIS) enters a new phase. The fall of Raqqa—the capital of ISIS’ self-proclaimed caliphate—marked a powerful strategic and symbolic loss for the extremist group. Yet the success of the counter-ISIS campaign will ultimately be determined not by battlefield wins, but instead by what follows. On November 29, the U.S. Institute of Peace held a discussion on the complex governance challenges in Raqqa and how the United States and the international community can constructively address them.