Complex Scenario

by Guillermo Alvarado

The already complicated situation in the Middle East worsened with the fall of the Syrian government led by Bashar al Assad and the occupation of Damascus, the capital of that country, by the troops of the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al Sham, Organization for the Liberation of the Levant, in Spanish.

The event took place after a fierce offensive by the rebels who, in just 12 days, overran the main cities and forced the resignation of al Assad, who is already known to be with his family in Moscow, where he has received political asylum.

It is still too early to delve into the internal and external causes that led to this event, but it is undoubtedly part of what some have called the reconfiguration of the Middle East after Israel's fierce war against the Gaza Strip.

The role of certain foreign powers in these events is also not fully known, but what is certain is that there is a drastic change in the correlation of forces in this hotly contested area.

What is certain is that few expected such a dramatic turn in a 13-year conflict.

For the time being, the efforts of the international community are focused, as they should be, on preventing a bloodbath in the country, on urging the rebels to show moderation toward the defeated, and on the gradual establishment of democratic administrative structures.

From all points of view, it is essential that a civilian government be installed that is strong enough to prevent abuses against ethnic or religious minorities and to avoid reprisals against officials or sympathizers of the deposed authorities.

It is known that several Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Iraq and Iran, as well as Turkey and Russia, have issued a joint statement describing the conflict as dangerous and calling for a political solution.

This unexpected outcome of the Syrian conflict should not serve as an excuse to forget the situation of the Palestinian people, who are subjected to a policy of annihilation by the Zionist regime of Israel.

Although the United States and its allies in the European Union deny it, genocide is being committed there and Tel Aviv has already declared its intention to expel the survivors in order to reinforce the Zionist colonization.

In this scenario, the fall of Syria only reinforces the adage that things are never so bad that they cannot get a little worse.