Dr Rana Khalaf is a pracademic specialising in local governance, peace, and state formation in the Middle East, with a particular focus on Syria. With over fifteen years of experience at the intersection of research, practice, and policymaking, she has advised local and international institutions, including the UN, Etana, the FCDO, Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, and Chatham House. She is currently completing her book Il/liberalising Syria, which explores the tension between revolutionary openings and authoritarian reconsolidation, tracing how local governance emerges and transforms amid shifting power orders at the local, regional, and global levels.