Post-Conflict State Building:
Key Concepts and Perspectives

PILPG’s Post-Conflict State Building Summer School commences on Monday, July 7, 2025. Day one of the summer school includes interviews and an expert roundtable case study on lessons learned from past peace processes that may apply to post-conflict state building in Syria. The aim of Day one is to develop an understanding of the key concepts, challenges, opportunities, and legal dimensions of post-conflict state building. This page includes the schedule for the day, details on the experts who presented, additional resources and a recording of the July 7 zoom session.

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Schedule:

  • Introduction to the Summer School

  • Introduction to Post-Conflict State Building: Challenges and Opportunities (Dr. Paul R. Williams)

  • Legal Dimensions of Post-Conflict Transitions (TBD)

  • Break

  • Case Study: Lessons Learned from Montenegro’s Transition (with Prof. Igor Lukšić)

  • Roundtable: Syria - Lessons Learned from Past Peace Processes and Current Challenges (with Ammar Abdulhamid, Dr. Muhammad Bakr Ghbeis, and Matthew T. Simpson)

  • Closing

Additional Resources

Experts:

  • Heba Bawaieh is the Director of Policy and Innovation at the Public International Law & Policy Group (PILPG), where she leads initiatives on peace negotiations and the inclusion of civil society in conflict-affected contexts, with a particular focus on Sudan, Syria, and Yemen.

    Her professional experience includes serving with multiple United Nations entities. At the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, she contributed to the development of international legal frameworks for counterterrorism in the MENA region. At the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, she worked on civilian protection strategies in fragile and conflict-affected settings.

    Heba has also worked directly with refugee populations in both Moria and Zaatari camps, where she addressed critical issues such as legal representation, access to information during asylum procedures, and family reunification across EU Member States.

  • Originally from Toronto, Canada and a past National Law Journal “40 Under 40” awardee, Matt leads Mintz’s global Private Equity practice and helps his clients navigate complex corporate transactions including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, growth equity, venture capital and other minority investments, and restructurings. Prior to joining Mintz, Matt worked for Torys LLP and Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP.

    In addition to his corporate practice, Matt is a recognized international negotiator and legal advisor. In 2010, the United Nations and African Union appointed Matt the Principal Legal Advisor to the Darfur Delegation in the Darfur Peace Negotiations. Embedded in Doha, Qatar as an official member of the Darfur delegation, Matt led a team of over two dozen legal and policy advisors on all aspects of the peace negotiations including the negotiation of a $2 billion development fund, the return of IDPs and refugees, and the formation of a regional government for Darfur. Since 2006 Matt has affiliated with the Public International Law & Policy Group (PILPG) in Washington, DC where he has advised on over a dozen post-conflict legal and policy initiatives including leading the first-ever surrender to the International Criminal Court, war crimes prosecution efforts in Uganda, and the Iraqi constitution. Matt currently serves in a pro bono capacity as a PILPG Senior Peace Fellow advising on various peace processes and post-conflict initiatives.

  • Dr. Igor Lukšić is the former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and European Integration (2012-2016). He also served as the Minister of Finance 2004-2010, Member of Parliament of Montenegro 2001-2003, and Member of Parliament of Serbia and Montenegro 2003-2006. 

    Luksic stood as an official candidate for the UN Secretary General in 2016 advocating for a more efficient and effective United Nations, able to respond to the SDG agenda along with peace operations. He also advocated for the stronger voice of the youth.

    Spending almost 18 years of his professional career in the public sector and serving in several governmental positions, Dr. Luksic was committed to political and economic freedoms giving boost to many economic and political reforms based on rule of law and a business friendly environment. Dr. Luksic advocated for transparency, and put emphasis on dialogue and proactive approach both related to domestic and foreign relations. While Prime Minister of Montenegro, Dr. Luksic opened accession talks with the EU and completed accession to WTO. As Finance Minister Montenegro, Dr. Luksic pursued significant public finance management and tax reforms, obtained first ever credit rating, sold first Eurobonds and made significant steps to improve Doing Business ranking, and took part in different projects attracting FDI to the country and coordinated efforts to implement anti-crisis economic policy during the crisis 2008-2009.  As Foreign Minister, Dr. Luksic was among the key cabinet members working to meet NATO membership conditions and was crucial in launching the Western Balkans 6 initiative. As a new in-house initiative, he set up an economic diplomacy structure within the ministry.

    Currently, Dr. Luksic serves on boards and as an advisor in different business and academic entities dealing with sustainable development, business acceleration and impact financing.

  • Dr. Paul R. Williams holds the Rebecca I. Grazier Professorship in Law and International Relations at American University where he teaches in the School of International Service and at the Washington College of Law. Dr. Williams is also the co-founder of the Public International Law & Policy Group (PILPG), a pro bono law firm providing legal assistance to states and governments involved in peace negotiations, post-conflict constitution drafting, and the prosecution of war criminals. As a world renowned peace negotiation lawyer, Dr. Williams has assisted over two dozen parties in major international peace negotiations and has advised numerous parties on the drafting and implementation of post-conflict constitutions. Several of Dr. Williams' pro bono government clients throughout the world joined together to nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize.


  • Over the last two decades and as part of his drive to facilitate the processes of modernization in his native country, Syria, Ammar had to assume many roles including that of a poet, an author, a teacher, a blogger, a journalist, a human rights activist, a motivational speaker, and political analyst. His activities included briefing the President of the United States, offering Congressional testimonies, and advising various governments on events in Syria. Ammar also served as a fellow in various think tanks and worked as a consultant to various private sector firms that have interests in the Levant and the broader Middle East

  • Dr. Bakr Ghbeis (Muhammad Bakr Ghbeis) is a board member of C4SSA. Dr. Ghbeis was born and raised in Damascus, Syria. He is a graduate of Damascus University’s School of Medicine. He immigrated to the US in the early 2000s. Dr. Ghbeis is a cardiac critical care physician and instructor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School. Since the early years of the Syrian Uprising, he has been traveling regularly to the Middle East, and has experienced firsthand the socio-political developments. He authored several OpEds about the region and Syria in particular which were published in Foreign Policy, Newsweek, The Hill, The Washington Times, The National Interest, the Middle East Institute, among others.