Social Trust and Intercommunal Relations in Pre-Crisis Syria

Reflections from Syrian Refugees in Brazil

Authors

  • Danny Zahreddine Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais (PUC Minas)
  • Guilherme Di Lorenzo Pires Instituto de Educação Continuada (IEC) PUC Minas

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5752/P.1809-6182.2024v21n3p26-46

Keywords:

Trust, Syria, Sectarism

Abstract

This article examines social trust among religious communities in Syria and its role in
escalating tensions before the 2011 conflict. Understanding intercommunal trust is crucial
to analyzing the dynamics that led to violence between the regime and opposition. Based
on a 2019 study with Syrian refugees in Brazil, it presents findings from a questionnaire
exploring perceptions of social trust in Syria since the 1990s. The study did not explicitly
address the 2011 conflict or refugee status but focused on intercommunal relations before
2010. The article details the methodology, analyzes responses, and discusses findings within
the broader empirical literature on Syria’s pre-crisis sociopolitical landscape.

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Author Biographies

Danny Zahreddine, Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais (PUC Minas)

Prof. Danny Zahreddine holds a PhD in Geography (2010) from the Postgraduate Program in Geography - Spatial Information Treatment at PUC Minas, a Master's degree in Geography from the same program (2004), a Bachelor's degree in International Relations from the Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais (2001), and a degree in Tourism from the Higher School of Tourism at PUC Minas (2012). He is currently Director of the Institute of Social Sciences at PUC Minas and Adjunct Professor IV of the Department of International Relations, being a permanent member of the Postgraduate Program in International Relations. He was a visiting professor at Peking University (China) in 2014, a Research Fellow at the Moshe Dayan Center (2017), and a visiting professor at the Universidad Nacional de Rosario (Argentina) in 2018. He is the leader of the Middle East and Maghreb Research Group (GEOMM) and a member of the Middle Powers Research Group (GPPM). He has experience in the area of ​​International Relations and Geography, working mainly on the following topics: Regional Studies and Hotspots with an emphasis on the Middle East, Theory of International Relations, International Politics, Brazilian Foreign Policy, Political Bargaining, Geopolitics, Geodemography, Geographic Information System (GIS).

Guilherme Di Lorenzo Pires, Instituto de Educação Continuada (IEC) PUC Minas

PhD in International Relations from the Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais (2019). Master's degree in International Relations from the Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais (2013) and a degree in History from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (2010). Associate researcher at the Middle East and Maghreb Research Group (PUC-Minas). Experienced in the History of International Relations, with emphasis on the History of the Middle East, nationalist movements and internal conflicts.

References

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Published

2025-03-23

How to Cite

Zahreddine, D., & Di Lorenzo Pires, G. (2025). Social Trust and Intercommunal Relations in Pre-Crisis Syria: Reflections from Syrian Refugees in Brazil. Conjuntura Internacional, 21(3), 26–46. https://doi.org/10.5752/P.1809-6182.2024v21n3p26-46

Issue

Vol. 21 No. 3 (2024): CONJUNTURA INTERNACIONAL

Section

"What does Middle East Studies mean in Latin America?"

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