File photo Syria’s interim leader Ahmed al Sharaa, better known as Abu Mohammad al-Golani vowed to protect the minorities but his actions during his first year in office proved the opposite; Vengeance and reprisal mark his first year in office . Switching to civilian clothing didn’t fool the Syrian minorities who strongly believe are witnessing Assad-2.0
Op-Ed by : Ya Libnan Editorial Board
As Syria marks the first anniversary of Bashar al-Assad’s overthrow, UN investigators warn that the country’s cycles of vengeance and reprisal must end. Yet interim leader Ahmed al-Sharaa has offered little hope that Syria is moving toward unity or democratic change.
Sharaa was presented as a civilian statesman, but the only real transformation he has shown is a switch from military fatigues to a suit. That cosmetic change fooled many foreign governments eager for stability, but Syrians see the truth more clearly.
Across the country, there are no celebrations — not in Kurdish regions, not in the Alawite, Druze, or Christian areas. Their silence is the loudest verdict: Sharaa has not united the nation. He has not reassured its minorities. And he has not broken with the authoritarian habits that defined the Assad era.
Instead, his style of centralized power, lack of transparency, and exclusion of key communities suggest he may be preparing to become Assad 2.0 — a new strongman in civilian clothing.
Syria paid a heavy price to remove a dictator. It cannot afford to watch another one rise in his place. The international community must stop confusing appearances with real reform and demand an inclusive political process that represents all Syrians.
One year after the revolution, Syrians deserve a genuine new beginning — not a recycled version of the past.