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Kassioun Editorial 1281: At a Critical Crossroads to Save the Country
The country is experiencing an extremely dangerous situation on all levels, and it is not “doing well” in any sense. Nevertheless, both the country and the Syrian people have a rare historic opportunity for a fundamental turning point that could lay the foundations for the long-awaited state: a strong, independent, and just state, in which power truly belongs to the Syrian people both officially and in practice. That means power belonging to the more than 90% of Syrians who live below the poverty line; those who produce the nation’s wealth yet receive only a tiny fraction of it; those who come from all ethnicities, religions, sects, and ideological and political backgrounds, united by the fact that they are “underneath”, in contrast to those who are “above”. The latter also come from all ethnicities, religions, and sects, but are united by the fact that they appropriate the greater part of what Syrians produce through their labor and daily toil—and even through the blood they have shed over decades in defending and trying to improve this country.
We say that Syrians have a rare opportunity for a fundamental turning point because of an almost unprecedented convergence of specific external and internal factors.
External factors: We are living in an era of clear and unmistakable American–“Israeli” decline, evident to any sound observer and perceptive mind. At the same time, we are witnessing an era in which major regional powers in our region—Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Pakistan—are drawing closer together, with Chinese and Russian support, coordination, and encouragement. Their aim is both to defend themselves and to reshape the entire regional and international order. The decline of American and Zionist influence, combined with the rise of emerging regional and international powers, offers our country an opportunity to correctly position itself in a way that aligns with its genuine interests—interests that transcend authorities and regimes, that fundamentally conflict with American and Zionist agendas, and with the IMF and World Bank formulas.
Internal factors: These consist of the growing maturity of the people’s protest movement, which has evolved from scattered and fragmented demands into a broader condition of solidarity and coherence. Through their own experience, the 90% are learning that there are no individual or partial solutions to their problems. They are realizing that solidarity, mutual support, and cooperation are necessary to secure their rights. They are also learning that all sectarian and ethnic rhetoric—and all discourse that seeks to pit Syrians against one another—works directly against their interests, while serving the interests of the primary external enemy, “Zionism”, and of those who profit from exploitation and plundering, whether new ones or those “rehabilitated” old ones.
The convergence and synchronization of these external and internal factors grant Syrians, across their various currents, a rare opportunity to rebuild their country as a united, strong, independent, and just nation.
The concrete steps required to achieve this can be summarized as follows:
First: On the external level, a patriotic position opposed to the Zionist entity must be firmly established and consolidated, while staying away from illusions regarding American support (the issue of sanctions, which have not in fact been lifted to this day, may serve as a useful lesson). In parallel, Syria should position itself correctly within regional and international relations so that it moves with the direction of history rather than against it.
Second: On the socioeconomic level, there must be an immediate break with policies of extravagance, spectacle, and display, which have been accompanied by encroachments on people’s rights through unrestrained economic liberalism biased against 90% of Syrians.
Third: On the legal and political level, freedom of expression, freedom of opinion, and freedom of political activity must be guaranteed in a manner that serves the interests of the 90%—the people of the land and its rightful owners. In practical terms, this means realizing the principle of “power to the people”, both in constitutional and legal texts and as a tangible reality on the ground. The first step in this direction is the immediate formation of a genuine national unity government that includes the principal political and social currents. Its first task should be to convene a comprehensive, national general conference at which Syrians put all their problems on the table and agree on how to solve them.
The Syrian state and society stand at a decisive crossroads that requires clear and unambiguous choices on three fundamental issues:
- A clear and unequivocal stance toward Zionism, its maneuvers, and the US behind it.
- A clear resolution of the socioeconomic question in favor of the 90% and against unrestrained neoliberalism.
- A clear commitment to political freedoms by empowering all Syrians to exercise their political rights and participate directly in shaping decisions that affect their future, without evasion or manipulation.
The window of opportunity is narrow. It must be used to open onto a new future—one filled with fresh air and bright sunlight—guided by the Syrian people, in their interest, and grounded in their own movement. Failing to seize this opportunity would mean certain loss for the country as a whole, for everyone within it, and for all its political and social forces, without exception.
