The Assad family controlled Syria for over half a century: a dictatorship which bombed and gassed its own people, or locked them away in underground prisons.
Bashar al-Assad’s hold over Syria wobbled a decade ago during the Syrian revolution. One of Assad’s greatest crimes was how he crushed this mass and democratic uprising, with the help of Russian bombers.
Today’s events are very different from the Syrian revolution. The West has been pouring fuel on the fire in the region for years, and with Turkish backing for one of the main rebel forces, Western imperialism is content to see a proxy war being fought in a country that had been a Russian ally. Different imperial and sub-imperial interests will now try to extend their sphere of influence in Syria.
At the same time, the ease with which Assad’s regime has been toppled shows the lack of popular backing he had within Syria. His rule depended on external arms and protection, not on the support of ordinary people. Therefore, it’s no surprise to see Syrians flock out onto the streets celebrating the end of the Assad dynasty.
We send our solidarity to Syrians, both in Syria and abroad. Scenes of prisoners freed from solitude, and traffic jams as Syrians seek to return home, represent moments of rare joy in a region that has suffered such horror in recent years.
But alongside this joy are very real fears for the future. The two main rebel forces are the HTS and the SNA. The HTS is a political Islamic organisation that splintered from Al-Qaeda some years ago. The Syrian National Army (SNA) is largely under the control of Turkey, who have taken advantage of regional instability caused by Israel’s brutal war on Palestine. The SNA has targeted areas with large Kurdish populations, as the Turkish state wants to increase its hold and deny Kurdish aspirations of autonomy.
Meanwhile Israel immediately and illegally occupied the Golan Heights and fired missiles on Damascus. The Assad dynasty had caused no problems for Israel. Rather the regime has a record of repressing Palestinians. Bashar’s father, Hafez, supported far-right Lebanese parties against left-wing Palestinian and Lebanese organisations and attacked Palestinian camps in Beirut in 1985 and 1986. Between 2013-2015 Bashar laid siege to Yarmouk, a Palestinian refugee camp, and several thousand Palestinians have been killed by the regime since 2011.
The rest of the West will be doing all they can to turn the fall of Assad - a key friend of Russia - to their advantage. The US will try to ensure that the main rebel forces don’t get overrun by popular hopes and pressures to democratise. In a region where popular mobilisations have always inspired domino effects in neighbouring countries, the US will be fighting hard to ensure Syria does not take a more open and democratic route.
Rebel forces are on an international charm offensive, making statements promising to respect minorities and democratic rule. But they should not be trusted to do so. As one Syrian socialist has said: “it is not only to overthrow this regime, but to build a society characterised by democracy, equality, and full rights for oppressed groups. Otherwise, we are only replacing one evil with another.”
For us in the West, the message to our governments must be: Hands Off Syria. Let Syrians decide their fate!
Assad Falls: Hands Off Syria - Let Syrians decide their fate!
For us in the West, the message to our governments must be: Hands Off Syria. Let Syrians decide their fate!
