The fall of the regime: how foreign media assess the consequences of the revolution in Syria

Events that seemed unbelievable have become reality: Bashar al-Assad’s regime, which held Syria in an iron grip for decades, has fallen. On Sunday morning, news broke that armed opposition forces had taken control of Damascus, freed political prisoners and re-established key government institutions. The dictator himself, according to available information, has left the country and is probably hiding in Moscow. His escape left behind deep ruins: economic collapse, social division, and a country on the brink of chaos.

Foreign media actively comment on these events, analyzing both the reasons for the fall of the regime and the potential consequences for Syria and the world.

De Volkskrant – Netherlands. Syria must be supported – Amsterdam’s De Volkskrant believes:

“We hope that there will be no division among the rebels and that they will not destroy the fragile unity that united them against Assad. … Despite the overthrow of the ISIS caliphate in 2019, Assad again took the initiative in his own hands – with the help of Iran and Russia. that both countries have now given the Assad regime a mouthful, they will continue to closely monitor the development of events.

… However uncertain the future may seem now, if this change of power does not go astray, it deserves to be supported. It is encouraging that many Syrians want the same thing: unity, stability and peace.”

eldiario.es – Spain. The portal Eldiario.es looks with apprehension at the growing mass of social problems:

“Is it possible to restore the pre-war Syrian mosaic – multi-ethnic, multi-confessional, incredibly tolerant and secular?

… We face the most serious challenges. The civil war claimed the lives of more than 300,000 people. Half of the population was forced to flee.

…Prisons are emptying, and a stream of revenge-seeking people is returning to a dysfunctional society. Humanitarian catastrophes and security cataclysms loom on the horizon. If the situation gets out of control, there is also the risk of disruptive external intervention, which has already played a central role in this war.”

Politiken – Denmark. Copenhagen Politiken fears for the fate of minorities in Syria:

“The rebels are led by the jihadist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, an extremist movement with roots in ISIS and ties to al-Qaeda. The group has since become somewhat less extremist, but is still made up of stubborn Islamists. If they will seize power in Syria, a country with many religious minorities and a long tradition of religious tolerance, then it may again come to countless streams of refugees.

… Europe can and should do everything possible to ensure that minorities are not expelled from the country, and prepare to help rebuild Syria – there will be a lot of work.”

La Repubblica – Italy. Rome’s La Repubblica notes:

“The ease with which Turkey pushed the Sunni rebels to overthrow Assad is also striking – it only needed to openly oppose Russia and Iran, the main defenders of Damascus.

… Erdoğan sees Damascus as part of his natural neo-Ottoman sphere of influence and is showing skillful use of his puppets. For example, the Sunni militia is a more or less jihadist movement rooted in the ideology of political Islam of the Muslim Brotherhood, and [Erdogan’s] Justice and Development Party, which has been operating in Turkey for almost a quarter of a century, goes back to it.”

Jutarnji List – Croatia. The overthrow of Assad is a heavy blow for Putin, the Zagreb Jutarnji list believes:

“The fact that he abandoned Assad to his will speaks of Putin’s weakness. Firstly, he is no longer able to protect all his “wards”, which, of course, will make them think twice. Secondly, all this shows that Russia not at all that strong: its resources are limited, as it is apparently unable to fight on several fronts.Third, leaving the Middle East, Russia loses its influence on the region, which confirms the thesis that the war against Ukraine not only exhausts Russia, but also narrows its sphere of influence – and leads to the fact that Russia is no longer a world power, as Putin dreams of it.”

Sabah – Turkey. Iran and its possible reaction cannot be ignored, wrote the Turkish pro-government newspaper Sabah even before the final overthrow of the Assad regime:

“Tehran, which from the very beginning was developing sectarian tools to turn the Iraq-Syria-Lebanon axis into a Shiite crescent.

… Iran, which has undermined its strength in missile wars with Israel and is watching its paramilitary elements such as Hashd al-Shaabi and Hezbollah weaken, is expected to be hysterical. Iran is a state that cannot be ignored, it should be seen as a destabilizing, not stabilizing force in Syria.”

After the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria, the question arose about the possibility of Syrian refugees returning home. Since the start of the civil war in 2011, millions of Syrians have been forced to leave their homes. In Europe, hostile and aggressive statements from right-wing populist parties have been repeatedly addressed to them. Observers speculate about whether Syrians have a chance to return home.

Salzburger Nachrichten – Austria. Austria’s Salzburger Nachrichten indicates that the possibility of returning Syrian refugees home is now open – provided they are given adequate assistance:

“This success needs to be grasped. Almost six million Syrian refugees live mostly in extremely difficult conditions in Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon. Another two million Syrians live in Europe. In Syria itself, about four million are internally displaced. They will be able to return to their homes in the near future. villages and cities, if the country is allocated billions in reconstruction aid as part of a significant international effort won’t show up anymore.”

Večernji List – Croatia. Active return of refugees should not be expected yet, – the Zagreb Večernji list emphasizes:

“The mass return of refugees will be possible only if the fall of the Assad regime also marks the end of the civil war in Syria, and this cannot be said with certainty yet.

…The return of refugees will also depend on the nature of the future government, as Syrians will clearly not want to return to a country where their rights and freedoms would be suppressed.

In addition, at the moment, Syria is a devastated country without the infrastructure that could support a normal life. Without significant capital investment in the reconstruction of the country, returning to their homeland will be impossible for many Syrians – no matter how much they want it.”

Stuttgarter Zeitung – Germany. Perhaps this will lead to changes in Europe as well, Stuttgarter Zeitung suggests:

“Europe has a new chance to make its voice heard in the Middle East. While the United States, judging by the words of President-elect Donald Trump, will continue to reduce its involvement in the fate of Syria, the European Union can allocate money for reconstruction the country, to support the new government and to organize the orderly return of refugees. This could slow down the rise of right-wing populists and even put an end to it the Syrian revolution would also change Europe.”