That extraordinary figure represents nearly one-quarter of all Syrians who fled fighting during the 13-year civil war to live abroad. It is also a strikingly fast pace for a country where insecurity persists across broad regions. The scale and speed of these returns since the overthrow of Bashar Assad's brutal regime on Dec. 8, 2024, raise important questions: Why are so many Syrians going back, and will these returns last' Moreover, what conditions are they returning to' As an expert in property rights and post-conflict return migration, I have monitored the massive surge in refugee returns to Syria throughout 2024. While a combination of push-and-pull factors have driven the trend, the widespread destruction of property during the brutal civil war poses an ongoing obstacle to resettlement. By the time a rebel coalition led by Sunni Islamist organization Hayat Tahrir al-Sham overthrew the Assad government, Syria's civil war had been going on for more than a decade. What began in...
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