The Observatory of Political and Economic Networks (OPEN) is a research group staffed by “Syrian and Arab youth.” ¹

Background

The group offers private-sector, government, and nonprofit clients academic, media, civic, legal, and corporate research services. According to its website, this research largely consists of extracting, processing, and “weaving” together research and data that has already been published in English as well as Middle East languages into reports. In a disclaimer published on its website, the group notes that its published materials have not “necessarily” been reviewed by expert or “impartial parties” and notes that some materials on its website may violate the laws of certain countries and jurisdictions. ^{2 3}

Activity

On September 8, 2023, The Observatory of Political and Economic Networks published a report, “How a Drug Kingpin is Running Flights from Damascus to the Rest of the World,” in collaboration with Omran for Strategic Studies and the Syria Sanctions Policy Program, an initiative of the Syrian Forum. The report, which claimed that a recently opened travel agency with offices in Damascus and Dubai was associated with drug trafficker Mahmoud Abdulilah, recommends that Western countries sanction and investigate the agency. ⁴

On June 14, 2023, the organization published a report, “Sky High: The Ensuing Narcotics Crisis in MENA and the Role of the Assad Regime” funded by the United Kingdom Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office. The report, which documents alleged connections between organizations such as Syria’s Fourth Armored Division, the Military Intelligence Directorate, Lebanese Hezbollah, and Syria’s National Defense Forces, and narcotics trafficked from Syria, recommends that Western powers enact sanctions on Syria and conduct further intelligence operations to gather more information. ⁵

On December 9, 2022, the organization published a report, “Syria’s Newest Mobile Operator Has a Hidden Link to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard,” in collaboration with the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project. Among other things, the report claimed that a Syrian mobile operator is partially owned by a Malaysian company with connections to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. ⁶

Leadership

Fadel Abdul Ghany is a member of the board of the Observatory of Political and Economic Networks as well as the founder and head of the Syrian Network for Human Rights, a human rights advocacy group focusing on Syria. ⁷

Lubna Alkanawati is a member of the board of the Observatory of Political and Economic Networks as well as the national director for Women Now for Development, a Syrian women’s issues-focused group based in Paris, France. ^{8 9}

Yassin Swehat is a member of the board of the OPEN as well as the co-founder of Al-Jumhuriya Group and editor-in-chief at the Aljumhuriya.net. ¹⁰

Karam Shaar is the manager of OPEN’s Syria Program as well as a senior non-resident fellow at the Newlines Institute, a foreign policy think tank based in Washington, D.C. Previously, he worked as a senior analyst at the New Zealand Treasury and a senior lecturer at Massey University on Middle East politics. ^{11 12}

Muhannad Abu al-Husn is a member of OPEN’s Data and Technology team. Previously, he produced investigative reports on Syria in collaboration with Bellingcat and Utrecht University in the Netherlands. ¹³

1. “Disclaimer.” Observatory of Political and Economic Networks. Accessed February 12, 2024. https://opensyr.com/en/disclaimer/p-6.
2. “Disclaimer.” Observatory of Political and Economic Networks. Accessed February 12, 2024. https://opensyr.com/en/disclaimer/p-6.
3. “Our Methodology.” Observatory of Political and Economic Networks. Accessed February 12, 2024. https://opensyr.com/en/our-methodology/p-5.
4. “HOW A DRUG KINGPIN IS RUNNING FLIGHTS FROM DAMASCUS TO THE WORLD.” Observatory of Political and Economic Networks. September 8, 2023. Accessed February 12, 2024. https://opensyr.com/en/pages/p-19.
5.  “Sky High: The Ensuing Narcotics Crisis in MENA and the Role of the Assad Regime.” Observatory of Political and Economic Networks. June 14, 2023. Accessed February 12, 2024. https://storage.googleapis.com/karam_viz/karam_online_publications/Sky%20High-The%20Ensuing%20Narcotics%20Crisis%20in%20Arab%20Asia%20and%20the%20Role%20of%20the%20Assad%20Regime%2013%20June%202023.pdf
6. “Syria’s Newest Mobile Operator Has A Hidden Link to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.” Observatory of Political and Economic Networks. December 9, 2022.  Accessed February 12, 2024. https://opensyr.com/en/pages/p-17.
7. “Who We Are.” Observatory of Political and Economic Networks. Accessed February 12, 2024. https://opensyr.com/en/who-we-are.
8. “About Us.” Woman Now for Development. Accessed February 12, 2024. https://women-now.org/about-us/.
9. “Who We Are.” Observatory of Political and Economic Networks. Accessed February 12, 2024. https://opensyr.com/en/who-we-are.
10. “Who We Are.” Observatory of Political and Economic Networks. Accessed February 12, 2024. https://opensyr.com/en/who-we-are.
11. “About.” Newlines Institute. Accessed February 12, 2024. https://newlinesinstitute.org/about/.
12. “Who We Are.” Observatory of Political and Economic Networks. Accessed February 12, 2024. https://opensyr.com/en/who-we-are.
13. “Who We Are.” Observatory of Political and Economic Networks. Accessed February 12, 2024. https://opensyr.com/en/who-we-are.