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Randa Kassis
Syrian politician (Born 1970) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Randa Kassis (Arabic: رندة قسيس) is a Franco-Syrian politician, journalist, and anthropologist. She founded and has led the Movement for a Pluralistic Society since 2012. Kassis was a member of the Syrian National Council from 2011 until her expulsion in 2012. She also chaired the Coalition of Secular and Democratic Syrians, a coalition formed outside the SNC in 2011 to unite parties opposing the Assad regime.[1][2][3]
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Kassis is married to French businessman Fabien Baussart, founder of the think tank Center of Political and Foreign Affairs, which maintains connections with Russia. Baussart is noted in France for his close ties to the Kremlin and Russian business circles.[4][5] Kassis chaired peace talks held in Astana, Kazakhstan in 2015; however, these talks did not result in a resolution to the conflict.[6][7] The fall of the Assad regime occurred later, following offensives led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in 2024.
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Biography
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Kassis is an anthropologist[8][9] and a former commentator[10][11][12][13] on cultural, political, and societal topics. She was born on 8 October 1970 to a Christian family in Damascus, Syria.[14][15][16][17] During her time in France, she appeared on French public television and radio outlets, including France Télévisions, France 2 and France 5 (C dans l’air), France 24, Radio France Internationale, and France Culture.[18][19][20]
Kassis was a member of the Syrian National Council (SNC) until her expulsion in August 2012.[3][21][22] In 2011, she became chairwoman of the Coalition of Secular and Democratic Syrians, a Paris-based alliance of Muslim, Christian, Arab, and Kurdish parties advocating for minority support against the government of Bashar al-Assad.[23][24][25] She was expelled from both the SNC and the Coalition due to concerns raised over the increasing influence of Islamist factions within the opposition.[26][21]
Following her departure from these groups, Kassis founded the Movement for a Pluralistic Society.[12] In 2015, she launched the Astana Platform to bring together moderate Syrian opposition figures.[6][27] While some observers regarded this initiative as a constructive effort to facilitate dialogue,[6][28][29] others criticized her for perceived close ties to Russia.[30]
Kassis has publicly supported the Russian intervention in the Syrian civil war.[30] On 11 October 2016, she met with Donald Trump Jr. at the Hôtel Ritz Paris, where she stated that "without Russia, we can’t have any solution in Syria." [31] This meeting was later referenced by the U.S. House Intelligence Committee during investigations into contacts between associates of Donald Trump and individuals linked to Russian interests.[32] Kassis, known to have a close relationship with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, attended an event at the Ritz Paris on 11 October 2016, shortly before the U.S. presidential election. There, Donald Trump Jr. delivered a speech for the Center of Political and Foreign Affairs. Subsequently, Kassis reportedly traveled to Moscow, claiming she could act as a secret communication channel between the Trump administration and Vladimir Putin concerning Syria’s political future.[33]
Randa Kassis participated in the 2016 Geneva III peace talks as part of the Moscow/Astana group.[34] She served as co-president of the delegation alongside Syrian politician Qadri Jamil.[35] Kassis advocated for a political transition that involved cooperation with the Assad government and supported the Russian military intervention in Syria, positions that drew criticism from some factions within the Syrian opposition.[36]
In 2017, Kassis convened a group of Syrian opposition members, academics, and constitutional experts to begin drafting a new constitution for Syria. This effort was supported by French constitutionalist Xavier Latour, former Turkish Foreign Minister Yasar Yakis, and former Italian Foreign Minister Giulio Terzi di Sant'Agata.[37][38][39]
On 30 January 2018, Kassis and other members of the Astana Platform participated in the Syrian National Dialogue Congress as part of the presidential committee. She emphasized the formation of a Syrian Constitutional Committee as a necessary step for advancing the Syrian peace process, which was later established in 2019.[40][38] In October 2018, Kassis worked to bring together various factions of the Syrian opposition to develop a roadmap for peace. The resulting document was drafted by opposition representatives who had been invited to Rome by the Community of Sant'Egidio, a Catholic organization with close ties to the Vatican.[41][42]
Following the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, Kassis returned to Damascus in January 2025 with her husband Fabien Baussart. During this visit, they met with Patriarch John X and Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, the spiritual leader of the Druze community, to discuss current developments and the future of Syria.[43] Kassis has publicly expressed opposition to Ahmed al-Sharaa and the new Syrian authorities, characterizing them as a "radical regime" that could lead to renewed dictatorship and civil conflict. She has also voiced concerns regarding the new government’s approach toward minority groups.[44]
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Personal
Kassis is married to French businessman Fabien Baussart.[5][26][45]
Bibliography
- Crypts of the Gods, Randa Kassis, Editions E- Kutub, 2013 (EN)[46][47]
- Le Chaos Syrien, printemps arabes et minorités face à l'islamisme, Randa Kassis and Alexandre del Valle, Editions Dhow, 2014 (FR)[48][49]
- Comprendre le chaos syrien, des révolutions arabes au jihad mondial, L'Artilleur, coll. Toucan essais, 2016 (FR)[50]
- La Syrie et le Retour de la Russie, Editions des Syrtes, 2018 (FR)[51]
See also
References
External links
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