Beyond the War

With the duration of the war in Syria, and an increasing complexity resulting from divergent aspirations and interests of internal and external actors, it has become difficult to distinguish among conflict parties and to recognize people’s interests. More significantly, in this time of complexity the people’s needs and voices vanish as they are faced with dominating mainstream discourses and one-sided coverage from the media. 

The six-part film series Beyond the War features documentary movies from and on Syria followed by discussions with guests. Here, different issues related to Syrian society and politics before and after 2011 (start of uprising) will be highlighted, like the development of Syrian society, the political system and possibilities for participation, the role of religion and secularism, Kurdish issues and women rights.

Amer Katbeh studied Humanities and English Literature at the University of Damascus, Syria. Next to and after his undergraduate studies, he worked for the Syrian Red Crescent and subsequently for the UN Refugee Commission (UNHCR) in Damascus. Amer Katbeh has been doing his doctorate in Peace and Conflict Studies at Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg since July 2016. In addition to the conflict transformation and the political systems in Egypt and Syria, the relationship between state and religion as well as refugee research are among his priorities. In 2013 he co-founded the Friedenskreis Syrien e.V. (FKS) which stands for peaceful culture of conflict and constructive dialogue regarding the current conflict in Syria. Through workshops and discussion meetings, FKS creates spaces for individuals to discuss and exchange ideas and thoughts about different topics related to Syria and Syrians.