Change of power in Syria: How cosmopolitan is the new leadership really?

A good month has passed since the fall of the Assad regime in Syria: the new strong man in the country is Ahmed al-Sharaa from the HTS militia. He formed a transitional government and received international politicians. He has given up his former Islamist battle name. The challenges that now await him are enormous.

Middle East expert Carsten Wieland sums it up in the “Wirtschaft Welt & Weit” podcast: Establishing a state monopoly on violence is “a gigantic task in a country that has experienced 13 years of the most brutal war.” The destruction is great, just like the polarization . Wieland describes Syria as a “mosaic of different religions, ethnicities and world views”. This is exactly what must be reflected in government action. And this test, according to Wieland, “has not yet been passed”.

Out of the fight, into the political arena: How credible can that be? This is the first question that Ahmed al-Sharaa has to ask himself and that will only be answered over time. Carsten Wieland certainly sees “the right signals” towards ethnic and religious minorities to help shape the future of Syria. There were no campaigns of revenge after Assad’s fall, and the state apparatus was not persecuted.

Criticism of the Minister of Justice

But the disruptive factors are great: on the one hand, remaining Assad supporters are trying to destabilize, and on the other hand, radical Islamists want to assert their positions. Ahmed al-Sharaa will have to judge how he deals with it: “Now he has to assert the monopoly of violence against those who are in his coalition and movement,” says Wieland. The appointment of a hardcore Islamist as justice minister also met with criticism in Syria, explains Wieland. It remains to be seen whether Ahmed al-Sharaa will stick with him or correct his personal decision due to the protests.

The German position on the participation of minorities and also on women’s rights is certainly known in Damascus: Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and her French counterpart Jean-Noël Barrot have made it known personally. When considering her visit to Syria, the content matters more to Wieland than the question of a handshake for the German Foreign Minister: In his opinion, Germany has a lot of expertise to offer, in dealing with war crimes as well as in economic terms.