The Defacto Platform for Dialogue participated in the fifth edition of the Indo-Pacific Strategy Forum (IPSF 2025), held on November 17–18, 2025, in Ottawa, Canada. The event was organized by the Institute for Peace & Diplomacy (IPD) in partnership with the University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy and Thompson Rivers University.
The IPSF is recognized as Canada’s leading annual platform for discussing economic and diplomatic policies related to the Indo-Pacific region. It brings together senior policymakers, economic experts, academics, and diplomats from Canada, the United States, and other countries around the world.
This year’s forum was held under the theme “Renewing Indo-Pacific Strategy in a Deglobalizing World Economy.” Discussions focused on rising geopolitical and economic challenges and explored ways to build flexible and diversified partnerships that could strengthen Canada’s position in the region.
Zozan Alloush, Senior Advisor at the Defacto Platform for Dialogue, represented the organization in a session titled “The Levant in Transition: Regional and International Dynamics,” which took place at the Canadian Parliament in Ottawa.
During the session, Alloush presented Defacto’s perspectives on several key issues, including:
- Assessing the Syrian government’s performance in local governance and its responsiveness to community needs.
- Prospects for dialogue between Northeast Syria and Damascus.
- The absence of a comprehensive Western strategy to support governance and development in Syria, and the need to back dialogue and decentralization initiatives as pathways toward sustainable solutions and long-term stability in the Levant.
