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Law, Violence, and Property Expropriation in Syria: Impediments to Restitution and Return

Author

Listed:
  • Emily Stubblefield

    (Independent Scholar, New York, NY 10010, USA)

  • Sandra Joireman

    (Political Science and Weinstein Chair of International Studies, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA 23221, USA)

Abstract

After eight years of civil war, parts of Syria are now free from conflict. In recognition of the return to peace, the government officially welcomes back all who fled the country to escape violence. Yet, a pattern of property expropriation supported by the government during the war limits the ability of some to return and reclaim their homes and businesses. We argue here that intentional changes to law and policy regarding property rights during the war has led to asset losses for members of groups opposed to the government and created a barrier to property restitution and the return of these groups. We examine legal documents and secondary sources identifying government actions and their impact, noting the proliferation of laws that systematically erode the property rights of people who lack proximity, legal status, and regime allies. As the results of these laws manifest after the war, a disproportionate number of Syrians who opposed the government will find themselves without the houses, land, and property they held before the war began.

Suggested Citation

  • Emily Stubblefield & Sandra Joireman, 2019. "Law, Violence, and Property Expropriation in Syria: Impediments to Restitution and Return," Land, MDPI, vol. 8(11), pages 1-14, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:8:y:2019:i:11:p:173-:d:286560
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Jacobo Grajales, 2016. "Violence Entrepreneurs, Law and Authority in Colombia," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 47(6), pages 1294-1315, November.
    2. Sandra F. Joireman & Laura S. Meitzner Yoder, 2016. "A Long Time Gone: Post-conflict Rural Property Restitution under Customary Law," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 47(3), pages 563-585, May.
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Unruh, Jon D., 2021. "Rural land tenure resilience in postwar Syria: implications for restitution and stabilization," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 108(C).
    2. Sobolewska-Mikulska Katarzyna & Cienciała Agnieszka, 2020. "Legal-Surveying Documentation in the Registration of Rights to Properties of the Treasury and of Territorial Self-government Units – Case Study of Poland," Real Estate Management and Valuation, Sciendo, vol. 28(2), pages 76-88, June.
    3. Joireman, Sandra F. & Tchatchoua-Djomo, Rosine, 2023. "Post-conflict restitution of customary land: Guidelines and trajectories of change," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 168(C).
    4. Habib, Maan, 2020. "Developing a sustainability strategy for multipurpose cadastre in post-conflict Syria," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).
    5. Chanrith Ngin & Andreas Neef, 2021. "Contested Land Restitution Processes in Cambodia," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(5), pages 1-14, May.
    6. Anu Printsmann & Raili Nugin & Hannes Palang, 2022. "Intricacies of Moral Geographies of Land Restitution in Estonia," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(2), pages 1-23, February.

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