Loading ...New Syria Deserves External Support to Advance Reform
By: Ghassan Rubeiz / Arab America Contributing Writer
In Syria, the mood has been cautiously optimistic since the fall of Assad last week. The uprising has been peaceful; the new leaders have been cooperating with the old regime’s technocrats to ensure continuity of public services; they are showing flexibility and no longer seem interested in achieving progress through the use of force.
Syria has suddenly become a state with possibilities for reform and rebuilding. The future of Syria depends, in part, on how its new leaders conduct reform and, in part, on how the US and the wider international community engage with the new regime. While Syria’s reforms must include respect for universal human rights, the US must support Syria’s efforts to regain its sovereignty over its territories, rebuild national unity, and advance economically.
The world community is watching how far the new Syria will go in reforming its political and social systems. Will the new constitution ensure full freedom of religion and respect for ethnic diversity and women’s rights? Syria’s new leader, Ahmad al Sharaa, promises to engage in serious reform: “We take pride in our culture, our religion and our Islam. Being part of the Islamic environment does not mean the exclusion of other sects. On the contrary, it is our duty to protect them.” And it’s important to note that one of the rebel leaders has opined that women are “unsuited biologically” for leadership in politics.
I question these paternalistic statements. Real spiritual freedom should not be confused with the “protection” of religious minorities. There is no need to “protect” minorities if the constitution entitles all citizens equal access to opportunity and if religion is not politicized or co-opted by the country’s leaders. When minority communities are “protected” by rulers instead of by the law, they are tempted to appease the ruler and suppress their real thoughts and sentiments. And when religious freedom is institutionally guaranteed for all citizens, minorities are usually at the forefront of patriotism.
The same power dynamics operate in ethnicity as in religion. Ethnic diversity should be celebrated, not just tolerated. There is a historic chance for the new Syria to offer the Kurds, its largest ethnic minority, administrative and cultural freedom, as well as full access to political power at the national level. In return, when the Kurds are offered administrative and cultural autonomy, they will have to disband their militias and encourage their fighters to join the national armed forces.
Perhaps the best way for the current rulers to model respect for religious and ethnic diversity is by showing magnanimity and mercy in the treatment of the Alawite community, which has had the misfortune of being led by Hafez al Assad and his son Bashar for over half a century.
Regardless of how hard the new leaders of the Syrian revolution work toward reform, they will still need external help to take bold steps forward, especially in matters related to women’s rights. It would be unrealistic to expect the Syrians to fully and spontaneously start celebrating religious and ethnic diversity and easily break established social norms, given the threats looming from every direction and considering the traditional values of the local culture.
In dialogue with the caretaker government, Washington must assure Damascus that it will work constructively and diplomatically with all the major countries that have strong strategic interests in Syria: Turkey, Israel, Iran, Russia, and Lebanon.
Washington could work with Ankara to restrain its efforts to crush the Kurdish forces, which control the northeast of Syria. Turkey must give the Syrian interim government the chance to resolve its local problems with the Kurdish minority independently. With Israel, Washington must apply pressure to withdraw from the newly occupied areas in the Syrian Golan. It is breathtaking that Washington champions Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been charged with genocide, and yet hesitates to lift the economically devastating sanctions on Syria’s people, implying that their new leaders remain suspect of terrorism.
Washington’s next challenge will be managing how Israel deals with Iran. Iran has left Syria, and its influence there has diminished, but it is still important to Syria’s future. While the Western world generally sees a historic opportunity to reopen dialogue with Iran on nuclear issues and on the possibility of renewing diplomatic relations, Israel sees a historic opportunity to wage war on Iran’s nuclear sites — and force Tehran to surrender. If Tel Aviv gets its way and attacks Iran, Syria will be sidelined, just as the revolution in Syria has sidelined desperate Gaza and marginalized Lebanon.
Syria’s new leadership must be given the benefit of the doubt; the international community will hopefully reward every major Syrian step forward. The Syrian people will challenge the new regime to move faster on issues of human rights. It is a self-fulfilling prophecy: if we expect Syria to move forward, it will. Otherwise, the revolution could fail for lack of trust and support from the outside world. It will take time for this revolution to prove its worth.
Ghassan Rubeiz is the former Middle East Secretary of the World Council of Churches. Earlier, he taught psychology and social work in his country of birth, Lebanon, and later in the United States, where he currently lives. For the past twenty years, he has contributed to political commentary and delivered occasional public talks on subjects related to peace, justice, and interfaith. You can reach him at rubeizg@gmail.com
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of Arab America. The reproduction of this article is permissible with proper credit to Arab America and the author.
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