Bassam al-Ahmad holds a bachelor’s degree in Arabic Literature from Damascus University and maintains a fellowship with Syracuse University – Maxwell School in Citizenship and Public Affairs. He has worked as the spokesperson and head of research for the Violations Documentation Center (VDC) in Syria since 2012. https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/contributor/mustafa-abdi-bassam-al-ahmad/rss en Diplomacy & Foreign Affairs Religious & Ethnic Groups Tue, 02 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000 Mustafa Abdi & Bassam al-Ahmad https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/community/2016/02/02/barring-kurds-in-geneva-will-only-make-matters-worse https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/community/2016/02/02/barring-kurds-in-geneva-will-only-make-matters-worse Kurdish ambitions in Syria are consistent with the establishment of a democratic, civil and pluralistic state that guarantees full rights for all ethnic and religious minorities, according to the authors. Blocking them from participating in Geneva will only “escalate the tragic situation on the ground”.