What’s going to minority and ladies’s rights appear like within the new Syria?

The autumn of the Assad regime marked a seismic shift in Syria’s governance dynamics. The brand new administration, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), is navigating a fragile steadiness between its ideological origins and the sensible necessity of governance. One of many quick challenges it faces is addressing the rights and considerations of Syria’s minorities and ladies. I witnessed this balancing act play out firsthand whereas in Damascus within the frenetic days following dictator Bashar al-Assad’s ouster. How the brand new transitional authorities responds to those challenges can be essential for consolidating its inner legitimacy, managing societal cohesion, and fascinating with the broader worldwide group.

For minorities, between reassurance and skepticism

From the outset, the brand new authorities demonstrated a aware effort to sign a departure from the divisive practices of their predecessors. In Aleppo, HTS contacted outstanding Christian leaders and clergy throughout varied denominations to restore strained relations and foster a way of safety. These conferences weren’t superficial; they included discussions on tangible grievances, such because the injustices confronted by Christians in Jisr al-Shughur a yr prior. A few of these grievances have since been addressed primarily by way of accountability and restoring properties to their rightful house owners, an unprecedented transfer that underscores the management’s understanding of the necessity for inclusivity, albeit rigorously managed.

Related gestures have been made in the direction of the Druze group in Idlib Governate’s Jabal al-Summaq space, the place HTS management engaged with representatives to rebuild belief and be certain that their communities weren’t focused. Moreover, on December 17, leaders held dialogues with outstanding figures from the Druze group in Suwayda and Jabal al-Arab, sending assurances of security and future inclusion. For the Ismailis of Salamiyah, the transition of energy was remarkably easy, because the city surrendered with out violence. This cooperative handover displays longstanding tensions between the Ismaili group and the Assad regime, which had marginalized them through the years.

Nevertheless, the scenario stays extra nuanced with the Alawite group. The brand new authorities shunned delivering focused reassurances to the Alawites, as an alternative embedding its messages of justice and reconciliation inside broader declarations. The brand new authorities emphasised that nobody would face retribution with out due course of and clear proof of wrongdoing. The deployment of insurgent forces in Latakia and its surrounding mountains occurred with out notable violence, with express orders to safeguard public property and forestall retaliatory assaults. Such actions recommend an effort to mitigate fears of collective punishment amongst Alawites—a group burdened with its historic affiliation with the Assad regime.

Nonetheless, there are lingering anxieties inside minority communities. The Alawites, particularly, stay cautious of the brand new leaders’ guarantees, balancing a cautious optimism with deep-seated considerations about potential reprisals. In response, some inside the group have distanced themselves publicly from Assad, framing the present transition as a chance for a contemporary begin and a shared nationwide future. Whether or not the brand new authorities can translate these gestures into significant inclusion will depend upon their willingness to combine minority representatives into future governance constructions and decision-making processes.

For ladies, between pragmatism and coverage gaps

The evolving function of girls in Syria is formed by societal necessity and sensible realities. Syria’s protracted battle has led to vital demographic shifts: numerous males have been killed, displaced, or compelled into exile as a consequence of navy conscription, financial hardship, or fight involvement. Because of this, ladies now bear a lot accountability for sustaining households, working in varied sectors, and managing day-to-day financial actions.

In city facilities and rural areas alike, ladies have maintained an energetic presence within the public sphere. Notably, no widespread makes an attempt have been made to impose restrictive gown codes or curtail ladies’s mobility, in stark distinction to the fears many harbored when HTS first rose to prominence. Girls freely participated in public celebrations throughout cities and villages, underscoring the relative ease with which they navigated public areas underneath the brand new management.

Nevertheless, ladies want to realize significant political inclusion. Whereas ladies are seen in mid-level administrative roles within the transitional authorities, there has but to be any effort to nominate them to senior management positions or ministries. This mirrors a broader pattern in conservative governance constructions the place ladies’s participation is commonly restricted to symbolic roles. The brand new authorities’s failure to incorporate ladies in decision-making dangers alienating a important inhabitants phase and undermining its claims of inclusivity.

Shifting ahead, the brand new management should acknowledge that empowering ladies just isn’t merely a concession to worldwide stress however a sensible necessity for rebuilding Syria. Girls’s inclusion in governance, training, and financial improvement can be important for addressing Syria’s demographic and monetary challenges. The federal government can point out its dedication to inclusivity with concrete steps, resembling appointing ladies to management roles, supporting women-led initiatives, and making certain equal entry to training and employment.

Drafting a structure

Regardless of the constructive gestures made towards minorities and ladies, Syria’s new authorities underneath HTS chief Ahmed al-Shara faces structural and institutional challenges that threaten to undermine these early positive aspects. Efficient governance just isn’t merely a matter of safety or symbolic inclusivity; it requires constructing functioning establishments that ship companies, mediate disputes, and foster participation from all segments of society.

The necessity to combine the experiences and experience of Syria’s technocratic and bureaucratic workforce is on the coronary heart of this problem. The construction of Syria’s public administration going again a long time included illustration from varied sects and backgrounds and vital contributions from ladies. Usually neglected in political narratives, this workforce stays important to the nation’s reconstruction and future success. The brand new authorities’s skill to retain and mobilize these skilled people inside its evolving establishments will decide the effectiveness of its governance.

Nevertheless, there are indicators of pressure between ideological concerns and sensible governance. Whereas Shara has proven a level of pragmatism, significantly in coping with native communities, the transitional authorities’s constructions stay centralized and hierarchical, with energy concentrated in a small management circle. This limits alternatives for inclusive decision-making and reinforces perceptions of exclusion amongst minorities and ladies.

To foster real participation, the brand new authorities should decentralize points of its governance, empower native councils, and combine representatives from underrepresented teams. Decentralization has been a requirement in lots of post-conflict contexts, permitting communities to handle their affairs whereas preserving nationwide cohesion. In Syria, the place native dynamics fluctuate considerably throughout areas, such an strategy wouldn’t solely deal with the considerations of minorities and ladies but additionally strengthen the brand new authorities’ legitimacy.

The drafting of a brand new structure presents each a chance and a problem. On one hand, it presents an opportunity to codify the rules of inclusivity, justice, and illustration important for Syria’s long-term stability. However, the method is fraught with dangers, significantly in a polarized atmosphere the place belief stays fragile. Minority communities and ladies should sit on the desk throughout this course of, making certain their voices are heard and their rights are protected.

A structure that explicitly ensures the rights of minorities and ladies will strengthen the brand new authorities’s home legitimacy and deal with longstanding grievances which have fueled instability. It’ll present a authorized basis for Syria’s governance, making a framework that transcends political factions and ensures continuity in defending susceptible communities.

The check forward

Syria is at a crossroads. The departure of the Assad regime has created a novel alternative to redefine the connection between the state and its folks. The actions taken by Shara to this point—reaching out to minorities, refraining from imposing restrictive norms on ladies, and prioritizing inner legitimacy—mirror a practical shift in HTS’s governance strategy. Nevertheless, these actions stay tentative and incomplete.

The true check lies within the new authorities’ skill to institutionalize these early gestures by way of concrete insurance policies and authorized frameworks. A brand new structure that ensures the rights of minorities and ladies will function a basis for Syria’s future, making certain that these rights aren’t contingent on political or ideological modifications. Equally, significant political inclusion—by appointing ladies and minority representatives to management roles—will sign a real dedication to shared governance.

For the Syrian folks, the stakes are clear. After years of battle and division, there is a chance to construct a extra inclusive and simply future that displays the resilience, variety, and aspirations of all Syrians. The leaders of the brand new authorities face a important selection: they’ll both embrace this chance and chart a path towards stability and legitimacy or retreat into exclusionary practices that danger perpetuating the very divisions they search to beat.

Sinan Hatahet is a nonresident senior fellow for the Syria Undertaking on the Atlantic Council’s Center East Applications and the vice chairman for funding and social impression on the Syrian Discussion board.

Additional studying

Picture: Spiritual leaders of Latakia deal with folks as they have a good time after ousting of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad, throughout a gathering after Friday prayers in Latakia, Syria, December 13, 2024. REUTERS/Umit Bektas