A few of Assad regime’s "accomplishments"

Syrian writer Badr al-Deen Ardoky began his latest article in Al-Quds Al-Araby by arguing that historians will require a long time of research and scrutiny in the corridors of Syria’s past half-century before they begin their serious historical writing with an exceptional break in the process that has penetrated a historical land in which civilizations were born and carried the name of a family which ruled Syria for more than half a century. A family which was able in recent years of its existence to transmit the cities and villages to skeletal structures and scatter its people across the entire globe and to declare publicly without hesitation that it is fighting for the homeland.

The writer then explains that for the reader to find the quality of that break in the fields of politics and human issues within two moments: before the break and beyond.

He begins by explaining the field of politics. Following Syria’s independence from France, democracy was not able to firmly integrate in Syria as several military coups took place with the final one being conducted by Hafez al-Assad in 1970. Throughout this time, the Syrians were familiar to the politics being a public affair, not limited to a class or an elite. However, the last coup made stripped the public from their politics and made it a fearful act. There was once a chamber of deputies which was truly a representative of the Syrian people; however, when it collaborated with Assad, a People’s Council was created. This council began to represent the cold reality that the Syrian people fell into as Assad gained the power. Democracy had manifested itself before the last military coup in the multi-party system, freedom of the press, cultural associations and trade unions, but the political parties and trade unions became pointless as of 1970; empty structures.

The writer then moves on to the field of human. The Syrian individual used to occupy a natural position in society and in the government and people used to enjoy real freedom guaranteed by an active and effective constitution. However, now, the Syrian individual has become a sheep brainwashed by the security services and does not move unless ordered by those security services and cannot effectively exercise without their partnership. The people became marginalized entities vulnerable to various forms of violence, exclusion and terrorism.

The writer then moves to the third and most recent which is the field of major Arab issues. The leading issue was the Palestinian issue. The Syrian people carried this issue very dearly to their hearts. The Assad regime used this issue in order to cover up all the Assad policies of crimes that killed under the pretext of protecting and besieging the Palestinians in Syrian and Lebanese camps. That was how the Palestinian issue was stolen from its original owners.

The Assad regime was not satisfied by just removing the politics from the society but it also made the Palestinian issue a secondary one after the crimes it had committed in Syria for the past 5 years on the Syrian people made the Syrian issue a priority, the writer explains.

With that, the writer argues, the Assad regime recorded its biggest victory on the most important Arab issues for both the Syrian and Palestinian peoples, adding that as for what Assad is currently doing from selling Syria to Iran and Russia is another issue now opening the doors of hell.

However, the writer concludes by saying that closing the doors of hell will not be an easy task, but as history has proved, victory to the people will prevail at the end. 

Badr al-Deen Ardoky in Al-Quds Al-Araby