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A Question of Power: Will the New Syria Turn Left or Right?
A lesson for the world about either how to or how not to act politically
The recent rapid turn of events in Syria has created more questions than answers. The leader of HTS, one of the rebel groups that toppled the right-wing Assad regime, has said that Syria’s future is now up to the Syrians. This is true to the extent that foreign countries don’t intervene in Syria, but as positive as feelings of “we will decide our future” may sound, it is no guarantee of a positive outcome, even if Syrians are not prevented from determining their own fate.
This is the time of both opportunity and danger for Syria. What happens in the near future in Syria will be a lesson for the world about either how to or how not to act politically. Will Syria, in this moment of political and social opportunity, move toward the Left or return toward the Right? Will there be a turn away from the autocratic concentration of power practiced by right-wingers like Assad and the Iranian and Russian regimes who supported him? Or will Syria have an increased circulation of power among the Syrian people that creates opportunity for all Syrians?
