Bashar al-Assad was overthrown in just two weeks by anti-regime forces – mainly jihadists – who advanced throughout Syria at breakneck speed, without facing any substantial military resistance, finally taking over Damascus. The overthrow of the regime came as a result of its internal disintegration and the withdrawal of support from its external allies.

The current situation is the culmination of a number of factors that have affected the political and social structure of Syria in recent years. The Syrian civil war started in 2011, when protesters demanded reforms and democracy. The uprising was met with violence by the regime, leading to a protracted conflict that has caused millions of refugees and widespread humanitarian crises. At the same time, the economic crisis has led most of the population to live below the poverty line, which had intensified social unrest and resentment against the regime.

The Assad regime was an authoritarian regime that turned against its own people. But how can you rejoice in its fall when jihadists from Al-Qaeda take power? Not many years have passed since they were expelling and killing anyone who did not agree with their own twisted interpretation of Islam. How can you rejoice when the well-known “jihadists” who took over Damascus with the apparent military support of foreign imperialist powers are suddenly dubbed “rebels” and “liberators” by Euro-Atlantic propaganda? How can one rejoice when the fate of the minorities in the region (Kurds, Christians, Druze, and Alawites) is so uncertain from here on out?

The overthrow of Assad brings new developments not only in Syria but also in the wider region, with the United States maintaining a military presence in much of the country, controlling oil-rich areas, with Turkey having its own geopolitical agenda and Israel benefiting by deploying additional troops in the Golan Heights, bombing military infrastructure inside Damascus, and continuing its genocidal policy towards the Palestinians. Moreover, after welcoming the victory of the anti-regime forces, Joe Biden warned of a new cycle of violence in the region. It is clear that this could lead to Syria turning into a new Libya.

The fall of the Assad regime is the end of a crisis and a bloody chapter in modern history. But it is also the beginning of a new crisis. The victory of the extremist Islamist organisations is not a victory for the Syrian people. On the contrary, it may be an opportunity for the imperialist powers to dominate the region, aiming to divide and control the region, causing new suffering for all the peoples of the Middle East and contributing to a trend towards the normalisation of war in various regions of the world.

The real liberation of Syria would be the immediate cessation of imperialist interventions in the region and the prevalence of a genuine movement for democracy and self-determination.

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