An anti-regime fighter tears a painting depicting Bashar al-Assad and his brother in an airport in northern Syria, in December 2024. Archived photo AFP.
The post-Assad euphoria has long faded. For now, all signs point to crisis. Anti-Alawite massacres carried out by armed groups aligned with the government on the Syrian coast in early March, a rise in communal violence targeting the community, and the unrest that flared Monday night in Jaramana — a predominantly Druze suburb of Damascus — are stark reminders of the deep-seated animosities. They underscore that regime change alone is not enough to end sectarian rancor and the violent political culture it fuels.Compounding the unrest are severe economic hardship, persistent security threats, and a fraught geopolitical landscape. Israel and Turkey remain locked in a tug-of-war on Syrian territory, with Tel Aviv applying pressure to keep Syria weak and divided. President Ahmad al-Sharaa now appears torn between two personas: Dr. Sharaa, a...
The post-Assad euphoria has long faded. For now, all signs point to crisis. Anti-Alawite massacres carried out by armed groups aligned with the government on the Syrian coast in early March, a rise in communal violence targeting the community, and the unrest that flared Monday night in Jaramana — a predominantly Druze suburb of Damascus — are stark reminders of the deep-seated animosities. They underscore that regime change alone is not enough to end sectarian rancor and the violent political culture it fuels.Compounding the unrest are severe economic hardship, persistent security threats, and a fraught geopolitical landscape. Israel and Turkey remain locked in a tug-of-war on Syrian territory, with Tel Aviv applying pressure to keep Syria weak and divided. President Ahmad al-Sharaa now appears torn between two personas: Dr. Sharaa,...
