[Salon] New Syria: A Moment with History is Here

[Chas Freeman <cwfresidence@gmail.com>]

Syrians realize the magnitude of the tremendous challenges they face and understand the dangers that threaten them. This is because the effects of a long period of tyranny cannot disappear overnight. Moreover, building nations cannot succeed through mere wishes and good intentions alone; it requires careful and well-thought-out planning, as well as extending a hand to everyone to ensure the unification of efforts and maximizing their outcomes.

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I closely follow the Syrian scene today, with great attention to all its details, as much as I can, from the smallest matters to the largest. I observe the images coming from Damascus, Aleppo, and other regions. I also read what Syrians write on social media, and I listen intently to my Syrian friends as they share with me their experiences in voices filled with a mixture of overwhelming joy, great hope, necessary caution, and fear of the unknown. I also follow the political news, which reports on the visits of various foreign delegations to Damascus after a break lasting nearly a decade and a half. I am confident that these visits—along with the actions of the current government and a new administration committed to fulfilling the hopes and allaying the fears of the Syrian people—will form the foundation upon which the first building blocks of the new state will be laid.

In another context, I observe the activity of Syrian society as it resumes its political engagement after a break of sixty years. I am not concerned by the large number of internal political initiatives, statements establishing new movements, calls for gatherings and expressions of opinions, and the attempts to participate in shaping the type of state Syrians aspire to. The majority desire a democracy; some call for a civil or secular state; while others oppose this demand, finding it a bit hasty before the transitional phase is completed and everyone agrees on a new constitution.

None of this worries me at all. Syrians, of whom I am an expert and with whom I am closely familiar, have always been and remain one of the most diverse Arab societies in terms of ethnicities, races, cultures, and beliefs. Naturally, their demands, outlooks, and visions for the future will vary, and their perspectives on everything will differ. However, if they all agreed on everything, that would be the worrying part, because it would not be natural and would not reflect the true Syrian character, which is today shaking off layers of dark and dense dust accumulated by six decades of tyranny and over a dozen years of continuous war.

The Syrian situation today is one of intense concentration and specificity. Observers should not approach it in the same way they have approached previous political upheavals, regime changes, and shifts in governance in other Arab countries. Our understanding of the new Syria must begin with the recognition that, until recently, it was the last stronghold of an authoritarian, totalitarian system that combined harsh repression, deeply entrenched corruption, and the oppressive dominance of a repulsive and delusional ideology. The removal of this dictatorship from Syria today means its departure from the last of its Arab strongholds. This is what should be, and this is what we hope the Syrians will succeed in closing forever—forever in the true, logical, and just sense, not the forever that the regime once imagined.

Most Syrians today, based on what I see and what I hear from them, are not concerned with reaching power or authority. In fact, they appear to be highly tolerant and unreserved about what the new authority should look like—as long as it respects general principles that guarantee freedom, justice, and equal opportunities for all Syrians. This is because their primary concern is working to restore their country in its entirety, undivided, and to rebuild what tyranny has destroyed in terms of society, culture, economy, science, and civilization. As for the sacrifices made by all Syrians—across all sectors of society, religions, and sects without exception—they represent the essence of the lesson that every Syrian must never forget. That lesson is that tyranny is the greatest and most dangerous of all evils, and the costs paid for liberation from it remain worthwhile, no matter how high the price.

Although a large portion of Syrians is not focused on seeking power today, they are fully aware of the importance of the type of political system that must govern their country. They are determined that there will be no return to the past, no matter the cost. The tyranny that had been suffocating them was not just a general problem, but one that affected each individual, leading to imprisonment, death, injustice, and the curtailing of their livelihood, security, and dignity.

In the days leading up to the regime’s downfall, and through my direct contact with Syrians from all backgrounds, I noticed a feeling I had never witnessed in them before. Although the anticipation of this downfall had been accompanied by a deep fear of what the outcome might be—civil war and total destruction—their joy was far greater than this fear. And their joy grew even stronger as events unfolded with an astonishing ease and swiftness. During the blessedly very short transitional phase from chaos to stability, the matter was settled with minimal bloodshed, and everyone became convinced that divine providence had protected the country and its people from the flames of violence and internal strife.

Despite the widespread shortages of everything in the country, the deterioration of essential services, and the scarcity of resources and work due to the sanctions imposed because of the oppressive regime, the intensity of joy was evident in the voices and faces of the people. One of my friends described this scene to me, saying: “I swear to you, we feel as if the air around us has changed, becoming purer and healthier, and that our eyes have regained their sight, allowing us to see colors and things in their true form—beautiful and lovable, as though we had never seen them before.”

At that moment, I realized that the country hadn’t changed overnight; rather, what had changed were minds freed from the chains of the dictator and souls liberated from the heavy burden that had been weighing down on their hearts. I then paused to reflect on the phrase that Syrians had memorized by heart, repeating it in their homes and on every street corner, with many even setting it as a ringtone on their mobile phones. It was the phrase spoken by the announcer on one of the satellite channels: “The time is now six o’clock and eighteen minutes—Syria is without Bashar al-Assad.”

This simple sentence deeply touched every man, woman, and teenager in Syria. After being associated with the Assad name for four decades, the hearts of all Syrians danced with joy when the dictator fled and they regained their homeland. After being monopolized by the ego, greed, and cruelty of a single individual, Syria had been returned to them, weary and worn, but, like their spirit, never broken.
 

Once again, on a personal level, I am truly delighted and honored to share in the great joy of the Syrians. Those close to me know that there is a deep bond between me and this country, its people, and its land. This bond is not only professional—though that is the least of it—but extends to friendship, kinship, care, and love. I am deeply optimistic that the Syrians have closed the final chapter of totalitarian tyranny that was established in our region. Believing in the importance of aligning words with actions, I am eager for Syria to begin its recovery phase, so I can contribute in any way I can to the rebuilding process in all areas—economic, intellectual, and charitable.

 I am firmly convinced that Syria deserves care not only from its own people but also from its Arab neighbors and the whole world. Despite all the injustice and tyranny they have suffered, Syrians have made valuable contributions across the globe. Their impact on science, art, and culture is evident in many places. However, their homeland, the one they should have been closest to, has suffered the most from their absence. It is time for Syria to reclaim its citizens, and for them to play their essential role in its rebirth.

Yes, the Syrian scene today is a profound struggle for a new birth, and all Syrians are called, without exception, exclusion, or discrimination, to build their country for the first time. This is because the majority of them came of age after 1963, the year in which Syria was captured and the decisions of its people were held hostage by a narrow group that confiscated their freedom, paralyzed their will, and deprived them of their citizenship rights. Therefore, in order to honor the sacrifices made over the years and to appreciate the value of the blood spilled for the sake of the nation, no individual should hesitate to participate in rebuilding the country. Everyone must resolve to move forward and not allow anyone to bring the past back, even if it costs them new sacrifices and new blood, God forbid.

The Syrians must realize the magnitude of the difficulties and challenges they will face and understand the dangers that threaten them. This is because the effects of a long period of tyranny cannot disappear overnight. Moreover, building nations cannot succeed through mere wishes and good intentions alone; it requires careful and well-thought-out planning, as well as extending a hand to everyone to ensure the unification of efforts and maximizing their outcomes.

 The opportunity before Syrians is immense and historic, one that will not be repeated in the foreseeable future. Today, they are starting anew, from a true zero point. Often, the fruits of starting from scratch and building a new system are far better than attempting to reform a previous system, just as patching up an old garment is never comparable to replacing it with a new one.

Finally, I hope that Syrians focus their efforts in the current phase on drafting a fair, tolerant, and open constitution, so they can establish, based on it, a system of modern and flexible laws that ensure the protection of rights, safeguard freedoms, enhance capabilities, and attract all that serves the public interest of the country. Following that, they should promote the values of participation, equity, creativity, freedom, and justice, so that Syria becomes a model to be emulated, after having once been in a dark and fearful state that everyone feared.

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