Robin Yassin-Kassab: Syria After Assad

In December 2024, the Assad regime collapsed after more than five decades in power, bringing an end to one of the Middle East’s most entrenched and brutal dictatorships. The speed of its fall stunned the world. Yet for many Syrians, this moment was the culmination of years of protest, resistance, sacrifice and unimaginable loss.

Writer, journalist and commentator Robin Yassin-Kassab has spent more than a decade documenting the Syrian revolution and its aftermath. In The Blood Between Us, he returns to Syria following the regime’s collapse, travelling across the country to meet the people now attempting to rebuild their lives, communities and future.

What freedoms become possible after decades of repression? How can justice be achieved after years of violence? Yassin-Kassab explores the hopes, challenges and competing visions emerging in post-Assad Syria. Essential for those seeking to understand one of the defining political stories of our time.

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Events last one hour unless otherwise stated, followed by a book signing in The Clearing. Our official bookseller is Waterstones.

Folkestone Book Festival is our annual celebration of stories, ideas and conversation by the sea. Curated by novelist Sophie Haydock (The Flames, Madame Matisse), this year’s festival brings together more than 60 events across two weeks, welcoming world-class writers, thinkers and storytellers to Folkestone.

Discover another event, browse the bookshop, explore Folkestone’s vibrant arts scene, independent cafés, bars and galleries, and share the experience with a friend. The best festivals are as much about the conversations between events as those on stage.

The Festival is part of Folkestone is a Library, our ambitious town-wide celebration of reading, writing and storytelling, helping make Folkestone one of the UK’s most exciting literary destinations.

We believe great conversations should be for everyone, which is why every event includes a £5 Cost of Living Ticket, available with no questions asked.

Please help us spread the word. Together, we’re building a thriving community of readers, writers and curious minds.

Folkestone Book Festival is proudly supported by Eurotunnel, Canterbury Christ Church University, Holiday Extras, and the Friends of Folkestone Book Festival. Creative Folkestone is supported by Arts Council England, Folkestone & Hythe District Council and Saga. Founding Funder The Roger De Haan Charitable Trust.