Syria: What Comes Next?

Dec 13, 2024

Rami Jarrah, a Syrian journalist who has reported on the uprising and civil war, shares his mixed feelings about the recent fall of Assad's regime. He reflects on the celebrations of freedom but warns of the volatile aftermath. The podcast delves into the complexities of establishing governance, the emotional reunions of families, and the challenges of seeking justice for war crimes. Jarrah draws from his own traumatic experiences to discuss the potential risks of revenge-driven power shifts in the now-changing political landscape.

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INSIGHT

Concerns about Governance

Rami Jarrah focuses on signs of potential exclusion and favoritism in Syria's new government.
He worries about the Sunni majority neglecting minority sects after years of oppression.

INSIGHT

Jolani's History

Jolani's past ties to al-Qaeda and ISIS raise valid concerns about an Islamist government.
Despite his pivot towards Syrian independence, skepticism remains about his true intentions.

ANECDOTE

Return to Aleppo

A teacher from Aleppo returned home after eight years and wept upon reuniting with his family.
This highlights the positive impact of regime change for ordinary Syrians.

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The unexpected toppling this weekend of the Assad regime by rebel forces brought a swift end to Syria's 13-year uprising-cum-civil war and over half a century of authoritarian rule. Syrians around the world have celebrated the development, with thousands walking free from the regime's hellish prisons.

But in the aftermath, the situation remains volatile. Israel has struck targets inside Syria and moved troops deeper into the occupied Golan Heights, while international powers jockey for influence. Mohammed al-Bashir, who led the rebels’ de facto government in northwest Syria, has been named interim prime minister.

Syrian journalist Rami Jarrah was among those celebrating Bashar al-Assad’s fall, but he’s worried about what happens in his country now. He reported from Syria during the early uprisings in 2011 and throughout the civil war, including Aleppo in 2016 during the intense bombardment. On this week’s episode of The Intercept Briefing, he says his own experience being detained and tortured by the Syrian government informs his concerns. “For a long time I had a serious grudge. I wanted revenge. Revenge that looked very ugly. And it’s why I understand how a situation like Syria, where there is this change of power, and how dangerous that can be because the things I was thinking about after what happened to me and what happened to loved ones of mine. I could not have been trusted to have authority in my hands if we’d gotten a hold of the perpetrators or even people that maybe just corresponded to the perpetrators. I don’t think I would have made sensible decisions. I think the last 4 or 5 years, I’ve been able to reflect,” he recounts.

He says Assad and his family fleeing to Russia gives Syria a chance to move forward in a productive way. Had Assad stayed and fought, “we could have fallen into a civil war very quickly. … I think him fleeing sends a crippling message to those that supported him,” Jarrah says. “It made it much more likely that there could be a reconciliation process between those that supported Assad and those that were victims of Assad’s system.”

To hear more of the conversation, listen to this week’s episode of The Intercept Briefing.

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