Latest news with #SyrianRevolution
New York Times
28-05-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Syrian Freedom Is Dangerously Incomplete
Syrians across the country celebrated the fall of the Assad regime in December as a moment of joy and freedom. Next, President Trump made the welcome decision to suspend economic sanctions against our country, a move that will help alleviate years of suffering. But for Syria's many diverse peoples — including mine, the Kurds in the northeast — this remains a time of risk and anxiety. As a new Syria takes shape, we must ask: What kind of state will it be? Democratic or autocratic? Rights-respecting or repressive? I believe the answer lies in my region, where we have created what we consider to be a model of multiethnic direct democracy. Syria's new interim Constitution doesn't reflect this diversity. It doesn't fully protect the rights of Syria's minorities or women, and it declares that Islamic law is the source for all national law in a highly centralized state. This is a dangerous development. Syria's history of autocracy, repression and rule by one ethnic group, to the exclusion of others, is a history of failure. We need a new constitutional process to produce a document that guarantees power sharing, safeguards political freedoms, decentralizes governance and allows for full democratic participation, regardless of religion, ethnicity or gender. This very democratic model was born in the early days of the Syrian revolution, when my region, which we formally call the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, achieved autonomy, in 2012. Also known by its Kurdish name, Rojava, the area makes up nearly one-third of Syria and is home to almost two million Kurds. But like the rest of Syria, it is also home to Arabs, Alawites, Armenians, Druse, Chechens and other ethnic groups. It includes many religions, with Shia and Sunni Muslims, Yazidis and a diverse range of Assyrian, Syriac, Chaldean and other ancient Christian traditions, as well as secularists. Under our administration, ethnic groups are legally protected, and women are given a leading role in policymaking and society. In a part of the world with a history of autocracy and repression, we believe our system could serve as a model not only for Syria but also for the entire Middle East. Different communities have a say in our government through a power-sharing arrangement in which every administrative position — from local mayoralties to the executive council of the entire region — is jointly held by a man and a woman of different ethnicities. Citizens meet in assemblies to govern their neighborhoods, villages and towns and send delegates to regional councils. Local committees help shape policy on health, education, defense, sports, women's rights and more. Our regional Constitution, which we call a social contract, guarantees equal rights for all. The system is not perfect. Despite our efforts at redistributing land once held by the Assad regime, there is still too much economic inequality. We suffer from antiquated infrastructure, serious environmental problems and a dearth of economic investment — all exacerbated by more than 12 years of war. We must work harder to get more people involved at the local level and to carry out our commitment to ecological awareness. But democracy is something that takes practice. Our commitment to democracy and women's rights gave us the strength to fight the Islamic State, which we have defeated, with American military support, thanks to 14,000 of our young men and women who gave their lives in battle. What can other countries in the region learn from our system? Arabic was once the only official language in Syria; we teach students in three official languages: Arabic, Kurdish and Syriac. We have an independent, free, robust media that is protected in our social contract. We employ a restorative justice system that includes the Mala Jin (women's houses), where families can work out domestic problems with the advice and help of female elders. We encourage the full expression of ethnic culture, religion and dress. We don't demand that women wear their clothes in a certain way. Women hold half of legislative seats and government jobs and take leadership positions in all institutions — military, political, economic and social. Our experience provides valuable lessons for Syria's political future. Centralized control, instituted by the French authorities who once dominated Syria, has been a disaster, as it has for so many similarly diverse countries in the Middle East. The postcolonial legacy has failed the Middle East time and time again. It makes much more sense to allow regions to govern themselves according to their own needs and traditions within a unified nation. We signed an agreement with Damascus in March stating our intention to integrate our institutions and armed forces into the new administration, and the interim president, Ahmed al-Shara, in turn, agreed to the right to representation of all Syrians in the new government, a cease-fire on all Syrian territory and a promise that all displaced Syrians would be able to return to their towns and villages. These commitments are welcome and will contribute to stability in the country. But the interim Constitution, which Mr. al-Shara signed in March, with elections scheduled to be held in five years, threatens to undermine these good intentions. Largely created by those involved in Mr. al-Shara's former rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, it allows for the curtailing of civil rights, including religious rights, if they are deemed to infringe on public order. There are inadequate checks and balances on the executive, who is given supreme power to appoint judges and one-third of the legislature. I am deeply concerned by these policies. Fault lines in the country since Assad's fall are already beginning to show. The terrible violence on Syria's coast in March, in which more than 1,600 civilians were killed, mostly Alawites, and more recent aggression against the Druse community south of Damascus underline the need for a new democratic constitutional process. The new Syria must, from the outset, include everyone. The Trump administration and U.S. Congress have a historic opportunity to help us build such a government in Syria. It would not only help Syrians but also provide a blueprint for the entire Middle East.
LBCI
07-05-2025
- Politics
- LBCI
Syria President arrives in Paris on official visit
Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa arrived in Paris on Wednesday, state media reported, on his first visit to Europe since overthrowing longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December. State news agency SANA said Sharaa arrived in the French capital along with his accompanying delegation. He is due to meet French leader Emmanuel Macron later on Wednesday. AFP
Al Bawaba
15-03-2025
- Politics
- Al Bawaba
Syria tightens security amid 14th anniversary of the revolution
ALBAWABA - The Syrian government has increased security in Damascus, especially in the area of Ummayad Square, in preparation for public events commemorating the 14th anniversary of the Syrian Revolution. Also Read Syrian government forces foil attack by Assad remnants in Latakia As Syrians celebrate the success of the revolution after former President Bashar al-Assad was overthrown on December 8 of last year, protests are anticipated in a number of areas. Dozens of protesters gathered at Sabaa Bahrat Square in Idlib, waving the revolutionary Syrian flag and shouting chants demanding accountability for former regime leaders and transitional justice. Throughout the years, the flag has served as a symbol of resistance, and it was widely exhibited throughout the demonstrations. A Syrian security source said that after an assault on a security checkpoint in Banias, the General Security Directorate detained a former regime soldier in rural Tartous. Remaining members of the previous Assad government attacked the cultural center checkpoint in Banias before early with two hand grenades while riding a motorbike, the source told Al Jazeera. There were no security force injuries recorded. إلقاء الورود فرحاً بالنصر على حشود المتظاهرين بساحة الأمويين... سلاح الجو في الجيش العربي السوري يشارك باحتفالات الذكرى الـ 14 للثورة السورية المباركة. — محمد الفيصل || M . faisal (@mhmdfaisel) March 15, 2025 A grassroots movement calling for freedom, dignity, and an end to oppression and corruption sparked the Syrian Revolution in 2011. The demonstrations, which started off peacefully, swiftly expanded across other parts of Syria. Millions of people were domestically and internationally displaced as a result of the Assad regime's use of strong military action in response, which claimed hundreds of thousands of lives. Syria has developed into a significant global crisis area and a theater of conflict for both regional and international forces throughout time.
Daily News Egypt
30-01-2025
- Politics
- Daily News Egypt
Al-Sharaa named president for Syria's transitional period, 2012 Constitution suspended
DAMASCUS, Syria – The new Syrian administration appointed Ahmed Al-Sharaa as the country's head of state during a transitional phase, and suspended the current constitution, it was announced Wednesday. The spokesperson for the military operations administration, Hasan Abdel Ghani, stated, 'We announce the appointment of Commander Ahmed Al-Sharaa as the president of the country during the transitional phase. He will undertake the duties of the president of the Syrian Arab Republic and represent it in international forums.' Earlier on Wednesday, Al-Sharaa, who also leads the new administration, presided over a meeting at the People's Palace in Damascus with various military and revolutionary factions. The participants decided that Al-Sharaa would assume the presidency for the transitional period and that the 2012 constitution would be suspended. The Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party, the People's Assembly, the army, and security apparatuses linked to the former regime of President Bashar al-Assad were also ordered to be dissolved. According to Colonel Hasan Abde Ghani, the spokesperson for the military operations administration, the decisions followed a meeting of military and revolutionary factions. The decisions were announced in a statement titled 'Declaration of the Victory of the Syrian Revolution.' 'We congratulate the great Syrian people on the victory of their blessed revolution,' Abdel Ghani said, adding that the president was 'authorized to form a temporary legislative council for the transitional phase until a permanent constitution is approved.' The statement also affirmed that the 'People's Assembly formed during the former regime and its associated committees' would be dissolved, in addition to the 'dissolution of the former regime's army and the restructuring of the army on national foundations.' The statement also included the decision to dissolve 'all militias and security apparatuses affiliated with the former regime in all its branches.' However, a new security institution to protect citizens would be established. The dissolution of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party, the parties of the National Progressive Front, and the suspension of the 2012 constitution and its exceptional laws were also announced. Following the meeting, Al-Sharaa stated that Syria's priorities included 'to fill the power vacuum, maintain peace, build state institutions, and work on the economic structure.' 'Just as we were determined to liberate Syria in the past, it is now our duty to be determined to build and develop it,' Al-Sharaa added. 'By the grace of God, we have broken the shackles, the tormented have been freed, and we have shaken off the dust of humiliation and degradation from the Levant; thus, the great victory. Victory is a duty in itself; the task of the victors is weighty and their responsibility is great,' he said. He further stated that while war is usually associated with destruction, Syria's victory was achieved with compassion and justice. Al-Sharaa is also the leader of Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham. On December 21, he met with military factions of the Syrian revolution in Damascus, where they discussed the formation of a new military institution, with all factions being integrated into a single institution under the Ministry of Defence. Syrian opposition factions took control of Damascus on December 8, after capturing other cities. This brought an end to 61 years of Ba'ath Party rule and 53 years of the Assad family's regime.
