Tracking the Political Transition in Syria
The rapid collapse of the Assad regime in Syria last month is perhaps the most of important development of an otherwise eventful 2024 in the Middle East. The Assad family had held power in Syria since 1970 and ruled Syria with an iron-grip. In the tumultuous politics of the Cold War Arab World, Syria’s politics were more turbulent than most. Between 1949-1967, Syria experienced seven military coups not including its brief political union with Egypt known as the United Arab Republic. While Bashar al-Assad will likely not be missed, his father at least earned credibility with some Syrians who endured the chaotic politics of the 1950s and 1960s. While acknowledging the uncertainty of Syria’s future, I personally celebrate with Syrians the passing of one of the most oppressive and brutal regimes in modern Middle Eastern history.
What lies next for Syria is impossible to predict, but it won’t stop many from trying. Revolutions and regime-changes are volatile capable of transforming in ways we can’t imagine. I’ve already seen the current situation in Syria compared with the histories of Afghanistan and Iran after the Islamic Revolution. There are significant flaws in such comparisons, the simplest being that Syrian society is vastly different than both 1970s Iran and 1980s Afghanistan, and personally I wouldn’t put too much stock in them. I would caution both against excessive optimism and cynicism over the current state of affairs in Syria. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the apparent pragmatism and savvy of Ahmad al-Sharaa; the acting leader of Syria’s political transition and head of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. However, I’m not without my own reservations. Syria’s future likely rests not only in its new leaders but also in the international community and its response (sanctions relief is absolutely necessary).
Rather than attempt to write my own thoughts on the current events in Syria, I would just like to share links to some of the best reporting on what has happened and is happening in Syria now.
Marc Polymeropoulos; “Syria’s New Era and its Opportunities of the US” Newlines Magazine
Madeline Edwards; “Joy and Trepidation Among Syria’s Druze;” Newlines Magazine
“Deception and Betrayal: Inside the Final Days of the Assad Regime;” New York Times
Alexander Ward; “U.S. to Ease Aid Restrictions for Syria in Limited Show of Support for New Government;” Wall Street Journal
Arash Azizi; “Assad’s Opponents Are Building a New Order;” The Atlantic
Loubna Mrie; “Bashar al-Assad Exploited Alawites’ Fear;” The Atlantic
Steven Simon and Joshua Landis; “The Best Way for America to Help the New Syria;” Foreign Affairs
Murtaza Hussain; “Kurds in Syria Fear a New War After Fall of Assad;” Drop Site News
“Syria’s new rulers have inherited an economic disaster” The Economist
