Rime Allaf
It’s our 6th monthiversary. If you’ve just joined us, here are a few key points on where we stand, from my perspective at least, since the genocidal maniac fled Syria precipitately on December 8. [TLDR: the situation is encouraging, despite real dangers from foreign enemies and domestic machos, as we wait for reconstruction.]
• The big bloodbath that so many warned would happen did not materialize, despite Iran’s best efforts through Assad regime remnants, and despite the March massacre. There has been no “Afghanization” either, and the new regime is unlikely to lean that way.
• Regional and international support has been immediate and impactful; the sanctions have been lifted, financial aid has been pledged, and Sharaa is being treated as a head of state. I hope this does not lead to complacency from our side.
• The restoration of regular services (electricity and water above all), the building of basic infrastructure, and the provision of a livelihood to more Syrians is still the most urgent priority, as is the facilitation of refugee returns. I think most Syrians will agree it should take precedence over a Trump Tower or the like.
• The machinations of Iran are still the biggest danger to Syrian stability, while the absurdity of Israel’s belligerent actions hurts them as much as it hurts us. They are the only two countries in the region actively working to prevent Syria from stabilizing, and we will not see peace until they are prevented from interfering.
• In the realm of Syrian officialdom, things are still slow and unclear, and the lack of gender representation is unacceptable: there are way too many men and way too few women in practically every decision-making circle. I also think that women are the best placed to describe their own role and place in society, and there is no need for mansplaining 2.0.
• Religious or ideological interference in civil matters is just as unacceptable. For example, there have been scattered checks on men and women seen together in public: their relationship is nobody’s business. Don’t allow these men to harass and badger free Syrians: rein them in.
• The Great Umayyad Mosque has survived 13 centuries without needing the current administration’s stupid measures to separate men and women. Stop being so ridiculous and don’t infringe on our rights to enter our public places, holy or otherwise, as we always have.
• One notably positive impression Sharaa and his team give is that they are listening to others. In most meetings, he holds a pen and jots down notes, and he seems aware of public discontent about various issues. That said, appointments and decisions have been centralized, but I think it is understandable at this stage.
• However, many Syrians are fed up with the lack of transparency and the lack of a clear communication process. They don’t want to have to look for news, rumors and statements on miscellaneous Telegram channels. Get official spokespeople already, and do not let your ministers give what they think are press conferences – they are not. Upgrade your written comms too, it’s still too reminiscent of SANA.
• It is heartening to see real efforts towards progress from several ministers and ministries, especially those who speak directly to the population and measure their promises and manage expectations. Personally, I find poetry less actionable.
• The absence of one component of Syrian public life over the last few months has me wondering why they are all suddenly so quiet. Where is the political opposition? Where have they all disappeared? Why are the Syrian people not being addressed with political agendas, manifestos, ideas, principles? Are they waiting until the 11th hour just before the elections in less than 5 years?
• So far, freedom of speech and freedom of assembly have been overwhelmingly respected. We must ensure they remain a civil right protected by the constitution along with all the other personal rights, and not a temporary exception.
Onward and upward.
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As fate would have it, I had finished writing 90% of my book when Assad fled and the regime collapsed, with two chapters left before sending the manuscript to my publisher. Nothing changed except the last chapter, written after a few weeks to take in our momentous emotions, and our collective fears and aspirations. The book relates why and how Syrians got to where they are today, their patient and painful quest for dignity and freedom, and the regional and global factors that triggered their descent into the hell from which they now must emerge, together.
To be published in Autumn 2025: https://www.hurstpublishers.com/book/it-started-in-damascus/
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