Kassioun Editorial 1283: Pressures Are Mounting, and a Turning Point is Inevitable!

Describing the situation as a state of deadlock should not be understood to mean that conditions are static or likely to continue unchanged for a long time. Quite the opposite: crises are accumulating rapidly across all sectors and point toward imminent upheavals unless the country’s course is fundamentally altered on every front.

To put matters in context, it is necessary to highlight several key aspects of the current situation:

First: Following the clear setback suffered by the US and the “Israeli” entity in the war with Iran, there are open attempts to draw Syria and Syrians into serving as fuel for conflicts that run contrary to their own interests. The US continues its blatant pressure campaign, exemplified by President Trump repeating for the second time his claim that “he is the one who put al-Sharaa in his position”. Regardless of one’s opinion of al-Sharaa, this statement constitutes an insult to Syria and Syrians.

Second: Among these ongoing pressures, the much-publicized promises of Gulf investment are visibly evaporating. Some of this—particularly from the UAE—is directly linked to “Israeli” pressure. Another part is an objective result of the Gulf states’ reduced financial capacity following the war, as well as Syria’s unstable environment, which does not encourage investment. Naturally, political disagreements that discourage investment cannot be ruled out either.

Third: The authorities’ continued implementation of the IMF, World Bank, and WTO formulas—that is, policies of brutal economic liberalization—is leading to further deterioration in industrial and agricultural production, greater impoverishment and marginalization, and the deepening and expansion of socioeconomic protest movements across Syria.

Fourth: Alongside these protests and the external pressures, crises related to civil peace are being deliberately manufactured. One example is the “campaigns against the shabbiha”, which target minor criminals while taking on sectarian characteristics that threaten social cohesion, yet leave major corrupt figures, thieves, and serious criminals untouched. The key question is: why now? A significant part of the answer is that whenever Syrians begin to unite around shared socioeconomic and national interests, efforts are made to divert their attention away from those common interests and concerns, and instead pit them against one another—specifically by setting against each other the impoverished and exploited 90% of the population, who belong to all ethnicities, religions, and sects. Those with the greatest direct interest in Syrians fighting one another are primarily the Zionists, and the former major corrupt elites and profiteers together with their new corrupt partners.

Taken together, these pressures and crises mean that Syria stands at the threshold of a new transformation. It could be a positive one, serving the country’s unity and the interests of its people, or it could lead in the opposite direction. The outcome depends entirely on what Syrians—society, political forces, and the authorities alike—choose to do.

The safe way forward is through:

First: Abandon any hopes or illusions of alliance with the US or of avoiding Zionist harm by “accommodating” it on any issue. Syria’s entire framework of foreign relations should be reconsidered in line with the new international and regional balance of power, with cooperation primarily focused on Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt.

Second: Break with policies of brutal economic liberalization and build a new, genuinely productive economic model in which the state plays a significant role and relies primarily on national resources, foremost the wealth accumulated by major corrupt actors.

Third: Establish the political and social foundations for this new economic model through the formation of a genuine national unity government that includes Syria’s main political and social currents. Its first tasks should be convening a general national conference, safeguarding civil peace, and eliminating all foundations of destructive sectarian tendencies, regardless of their form or origin, which ultimately serve only external enemies and domestic profiteers.

The window of opportunity for the positive change that Syria needs is narrow. Its success depends on cooperation among Syrian patriots across all positions and political currents, supported by a popular movement that is becoming more organized, more united, and more cooperative with each passing day.

(النسخة العربية)