Kassis is an anthropologist[8][9] and a former commentator[10][11][12][13] on cultural, political, and societal topics.[14][15][16][17] During her time in France, she appeared on French television and radio channels, including France Télévisions, France 2 and France 5 (C dans l’air), France 24, RFI, and France Culture.[18][19][20]
Kassis was a member of theSyrian National Council until August 2012.[3][21][22] In 2011, she became the chairwoman of the Coalition of Secular and Democratic Syrians, a Paris-based group formed by the union ofMuslim,Christian,Arab andKurdish parties who called on minorities in Syria to support the fight againstBashar al-Assad's government.[23][24][25]
Following her expulsion from SNC (Syrian National Council) and the Coalition of Secular and Democratic Syrians due to her warnings about the growing influence of Islamist groups in Syria,[26][21]Kassis founded another group, the Movement of Pluralistic Society.[12]
In 2015, Kassis initiated the Astana Platform[6] to establish a platform that could assemble moderate Syrian opponents.[27] Kassis initiative were viewed as a constructive effort to facilitate dialogue,[6][28][29] others expressed criticism, citing concerns over her perceived close ties with Russia.[30] Later on 30 January 2018, Kassis, and other members of the Astana platform, participated as a member of the presidential committee in the Syrian National Congress.[31] She emphasized the importance of creating a constitutional committee to facilitate the peace process in Syria.[32]
Kassis has expressed support for theRussian intervention in Syria.[30] She met withDonald Trump Jr. in Paris in 2016.[33] The meeting was later mentioned by the House Intelligence Committee as part of their examination of contacts between Donald Trump's associates and individuals linked to Russian interests.[34] Kassis who is a close friend ofSergey Lavrov. attended an event at the hotel Ritz Paris on 11 October 2016, few days before the US elections, whereDonald Trump Jr., delivered a speech for the CPFA in the Louis XV Salon, later, she allegedly traveled to Moscow, claiming she could act as a secret communication channel between the Trump administration and Vladimir Putin on Syria’s political process[35]
Kassis participated in the2016 Geneva Peace Talks as part of the Moscow/Astana group.[36] She served as co-president, alongsideQadri Jamil.[37] Her advocacy for a political transition involving cooperation with al-Assad's regime and her support for theRussian intervention in the civil war drew criticism from some members of the Syrian opposition.[38]
In 2017, Kassis invited members of the Syrian opposition, academics and constitutional experts - with the assistance of French constitutionalist Xavier Latour, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of TurkeyYasar Yakis and former Minister of Foreign Affairs of ItalyGiulio Terzi,[39][32] to begin drafting a new constitution for Syria.[40]
In October 2018, Kassis worked to include various political factions of the opposition to develop a roadmap for peace. The document was drafted by opposition representatives invited to Rome bySant'Egidio, an organization close to the Vatican.[41][42]
In January 2025, Kassis returned to Damascus where she met with the PatriarchJohn X and Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijiri, the spiritual leader of the Druze community, to discuss Syria’s future.[43] She expressed her opposition toAhmed al-Sharaa and the new Syrian authorities, which she described as a "radical regime" that may lead to another dictatorship and a new civil war.[44]
^Kassis, Randa (2014).Le chaos Syrien. Paris: Editions Dhow. p. 320.ISBN979-1093501031.
^Kassis, Randa (June 8, 2016).COMPRENDRE LE CHAOS SYRIEN DES RÉVOLUTIONS ARABES AU JIHAD MONDIAL (TOUC.ESSAIS ed.). France: L'artilleur. p. 438.ISBN9782810007318.
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