VUB Professor of Middle Eastern Studies Koert Debeuf has just returned from Syria. âI wanted to smell, see, and hear what Syria is like now, after the fall of the Assad regime.â He had previously been to Syria three times under Assad and three times during the war in the north, among the rebels. âIâve witnessed a few post-revolutionary moments before; itâs always fascinating to experience such a historic event. I was very involved in the Syrian revolution, I know a lot of people there, so I simply had to be present.â
Is there total euphoria now?
Koert Debeuf: "I wouldnât call it euphoria. In the West, we find it very hard to imagine what it is like to live under a dictatorship like Assadâs. Where you couldnât even say the word âAssad,â couldnât take any political stance, and where it was completely unpredictable when or why you might be arrested, imprisoned, and tortured. Where people disappeared, entire villages were bombed to the ground."
"You can feel now that the pressure and fear of that repression have disappeared, and for many, that is an indescribable moment. Literally. I asked the writer Ahmed Qassar what this freedom feels like. He said he doesnât know. That he understands the theoretical concept of freedom but cannot describe the feeling itselfâthat itâs so unfamiliar to suddenly be able to say and do whatever you want. That doesnât mean they canât handle the new situation, though. They now openly discuss politics and even criticise the new rulers of HTS (Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the Levant Liberation Committee). Because of this, they feel that, for the first time in over 50 years, things can finally changeâthat they have influence and can dream. For the first time in more than half a century, there is hope."
"There isnât really a central government capable of maintaining order everywhere"
How do the new rulers respond to these sudden freedoms and the criticism against them?
*"There is now a general sense that everyone wants a country where every religious belief is free and has its place. People donât really see the distinction between Christian, Sunni, or Alawite as important. However, the latter group, a 10% minority, held power under Assad. They now feel like victims of revenge, but the new rulers are ensuring that spontaneous acts of retribution donât happen. And if they do, they intervene immediately.
A telling example is that shortly after Assadâs fall, during Christmas, a Christmas tree was burned somewhere. An order was immediately issued for nearly every Christmas tree to be guarded by an HTS fighter. That indicates a clear effort to prevent people from taking justice into their own hands. This isnât easy, as there isnât really a central government capable of maintaining order everywhere."
"In his speech, interim president al-Sharaa emphasised that men, women, and young people of all backgrounds must be treated equally. That message is being taken seriously. Now, you only see Syrian flagsâHTS flags have disappeared. There is clear progress. People are cautiousâsome are more optimistic than othersâbut overall, hope prevails."
Keeping national unity is one thing, but how do you handle the international power blocs lining up?
"The Baâath regime in Syria had close ties with Russiaâthe former military leadership was trained there. Russian was practically the second language in the army and many government departments. The fact that there is still dialogue with Russia now suggests that they want an orderly transition.
At the same time, the new rulersâ message is very clear: we could use help, but we wonât follow foreign agendas. Lessons have been learned from transitions in other countries. Libya descended into chaos because of foreign interference, including from European countries. In Egypt, the revolution was crushed by a coup. Theyâve also learned from Iraq, where the Americans dismantled Saddam Husseinâs regime too aggressively, which ultimately led to the rise of ISIS. Syria wants to avoid all of that."*
"What struck me is that you hardly see any police or military on the streets in Syria now. In Damascus, I saw just three HTS fighters, but they were more like tourists than law enforcers. Everything is happening organically, and the remarkable thing isâit works."
At the same time, Syria has a particularly aggressive neighbour.
"They are handling Israel cautiously. Syria has more pressing matters to deal with. In any case, the international community will not accept Israelâs occupation of part of the Golan Heights."
Koert Debeuf (left) together with writer Ahmed Qasser (centre): "Writer Ahmed Qasser is familiar with the theoretical concept of freedom but cannot describe the feeling itself."
Should they be given a chance?
*"Absolutely. It is remarkable that Ahmed al-Sharaa, once a major leader in international jihad and Al-Qaeda, has taken an intellectual journey towards establishing a pluralistic society. Many people told me he has completely abandoned the jihadist path.
In my view, the Islamic extremism weâve seen in the past decades has already peaked. The hardline misinterpretation of Islam is being increasingly rejectedâwe see this trend in other Arab countries as well. To be clear, this is happening with ups and downs.
What we are seeing in Syria now could set a precedent. If this works, it will be good news for the entire region."
âTo improve the situation and give this experiment a chance, we must invest there on a massive scaleâ
"I had hoped for a meeting with al-Sharaa, but it didnât happen in the end. I wanted to ask him what caused his shift in thinking. Apparently, he has spent years working on the de-radicalisation of his own fightersâand he has succeeded.
Initially, there was noticeable tension between the people of Damascus and Aleppo and the fighters, who often come from rural areas. Now, you see both sides adapting to each other, and this mutual exchange is accelerating the process of de-radicalisation."*
They want to handle their own problems, but how great is the need for financial aid?
*"The need is enormous. The country is in ruinsâthere is no economy left, no fuel or electricity, often no heating, and barely enough food. To improve the situation and give this experiment a chance, we must invest there on a massive scale. Itâs a leap in the dark, but we canât just sit back and wait to be sure that things are going in the right direction.
Because how long would we have to wait? And what does âthe right directionâ even mean? At the same time, the West has already made a mess of things by trying to dictate how a country should rebuild itselfâwith all the consequences that entailed. We should no longer assume that we know best, because we donât.
Weâll have to seeâstep by step. For now, I believe there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic."