You might think that Syria had entered a new era. Speaking to the United Nations’ General Assembly on September 24 — the first Syrian head of state to do so in six decades — interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa was widely hailed as a new leader addressing the country’s structural problems. Yet internally, the picture is much more contradictory.
October 5 saw the country’s first elections, following decades of dictatorship and fourteen years of war. Yet the process remained under the tight control of the new authorities, with political organizations banned and only individuals allowed to participate. The population was not involved either; only a few thousand were registered to vote, while the approximately sixteen million Syrians (plus six million living as a refugees abroad) were barely aware what was really happening.
It all reflected the new government’s primary aim: to control the entire Syrian territory, while centralizing power in its figurehead.
Even to this internal end, al-Sharaa’s administration has focused on gaining international support, with Turkey offering full backing since the outset. The end of US, European, and Japanese economic sanctions has been a key means of raising popular expectations in the new government. In this same vein, several memorandums of understanding have been signed representing billions of dollars in investment commitments with American, Chinese, Qatari, Emirati, and Turkish companies for the development of ports and energy. The removal of al-Sharaa’s Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) from Western states’ lists of terrorist organizations marked a considerable step toward his government’s international recognition.
Al-Sharaa’s administration has focused on gaining international support, with Turkey offering full backing since the outset.
Yet Syria’s much-vaunted new freedom has also taken disturbing forms. Especially notable were this July’s clashes in the Sweida governorate, between bedouin tribes,…
Auteur: Santiago Montag
