Mohammed Ghanem, senior political advisor at the Syrian American Council, joined a discussion at The New America Foundation on the future of Syria.
After recently returning from a trip to Syrai, he discussed the threat of chemical weapons usage, how civilians are coping and what happens when the Assad regime does fall.
Throughout Syria, in so-called "liberated zones," civilian administrative councils are organizing to administer basic municipal services and prepare for a post-Assad future.
Additional participants included: Ilhan Tanir, Washington correspondent for the Turkish daily newspaper Vatan, and Leila Hilal, director of the Middle East Task Force at the New America Foundation.