An interview with Joseph Daher Tempest <https://tempestmag.org/2024/12/understanding-the-rebellion-in-syria/?utm_so urce=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=understanding-the-rebellion-in-syria> , December 9, 2024
The rebellion in Syria has taken the world by surprise and led to the fall of the Assad family dictatorship, which has ruled Syria since Bashar al-Assad's father, Hafez, took power in a coup d'etat 54 years ago. Neither the regime's military forces nor its imperial sponsor, Russia, and its regional backer, Iran, were able to defend it. Cities under the regime's control have been freed, thousands of political prisoners liberated from its notorious dungeons, and space opened for a new fight for a free, inclusive, and democratic Syria for the first time in decades. At the same time, most Syrians know that such a struggle faces enormous challenges, beginning with the two key rebel forces, Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) and the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA). While they spearheaded the military victory, they are authoritarian and have a history of religious and ethnic sectarianism. Some on the Left have claimed without foundation that their rebellion was orchestrated by the U.S. and Israel. Others have uncritically romanticized these rebel forces as rekindling the original popular revolution that nearly overthrew Assad's regime in 2011. Neither captures the complex dynamics unfolding in Syria today. In this interview, conducted amidst a rapidly changing situation in Syria, Tempest asks Swiss Syrian socialist Joseph Daher about the process that led to the fall of Assad's rule, the prospects for progressive forces, and the challenges they face in fighting for a truly liberated country that serves the interests of all its peoples and popular classes. Tempest: How are Syrians feeling after the fall of the regime? Joseph Daher: The happiness is unbelievable. It is a historic day. 54 years of tyranny of Assad's family is gone. We saw videos of popular demonstrations throughout the country, from Damascus, Tartous, Homs, Hama, Aleppo, Qamichli, Suwaida, etc. of all religious sects and ethnicities, destroying statues and symbols of the Assad's family. Full: https://lifeonleft.blogspot.com/2024/12/understanding-rebellion-in-syria.htm l -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Groups.io Links: You receive all messages sent to this group. View/Reply Online (#33973): https://groups.io/g/marxmail/message/33973 Mute This Topic: https://groups.io/mt/110009528/21656 -=-=- POSTING RULES & NOTES #1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. #2 This mail-list, like most, is publicly & permanently archived. #3 Subscribe and post under an alias if #2 is a concern. #4 Do not exceed five posts a day. -=-=- Group Owner: [email protected] Unsubscribe: https://groups.io/g/marxmail/leave/13617172/21656/1316126222/xyzzy [[email protected]] -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
