The step taken recently by Washington, with the support of Arab moderate states, to remove Syria from the terrorism list should be interpreted as the beginning of a historic opportunity to redefine national identity and political thought in a country exhausted by wars and ideological contradictions. It is not so much a political concession as it is a test of the Syrian state's ability to shift from the legitimacy of force to the legitimacy of ideology, and from crisis management to the management of public opinion.
Removing the Syria's name from the list requires a serious and courageous intellectual review that goes beyond the limits of political pragmatism to dismantling the ideological structure that fuelled division and extremism.
From a sociological perspective, Syria today is experiencing what can be described as a "post-fundamentalist" moment, in the sense that its conditions have become possible. What Damascus needs at present is not merely institutional reform or physical reconstruction, but the establishment of a "new language" that redefines concepts such as identity, justice, and belonging, so that these concepts become tools for unification.
In the Syrian landscape today, a major flow is emerging, seeking to seize the opportunity presented by improved international standing and greater openness. This flow strives to balance preserving the legacy of the conflict with reinterpreting it within the framework of the modern state, ensuring that the past is not erased but rather reinforced to serve the new legitimacy.
The next battle is not against the remnants of armed groups, but against the ideologies that fuel them. The absence of intellectual reflection after Syrian conflicts keeps the roots of extremism alive, transforming over time into more flexible and insidious forms. And starting from that it is important to invest now in culture, education, and media as tools for reshaping public discourse, so that moderation is restored to its rightful place as a national value, not merely a temporary political option.
The lifting of the US boycott has granted Damascus a rare opportunity to redefine itself, not only as a party in the battle against terrorism, but as a state capable of producing security and freedom. If this opportunity is properly utilized, it could lead to the "post-Islamist" era, where religion transforms itself from an instrument of governance into an ethical framework for coexistence.
What is expected of Damascus today is not merely a triumphant speech, but a bold intellectual review that reorders the priorities of the state and society, and transforms the experience of war into a constructive and critical memory. History is not written by those who apply to weapons, but by those who possess the courage to question their past and forge a new meaning for the present. Syria, having been officially removed from the list of terrorist states, now has the opportunity to emerge from its shadows, by transforming moderation into a national project, and becoming a model of a state that learns from its crisis.