Five months have passed since the unanticipated fall of the Syrian regime. This fall came as a great surprise to many observers, regardless of their position on the regime—opposition, support, or acceptance—due to the speed and form it took. The leadership that toppled the regime, with the extensive support from abroad, particularly from Türkiye, prevented the "day after" in Syria from turning into a situation similar to what has become known as the "Libyan model." The process of change has begun, but agreement is still lacking between the various concerned Syrian components and forces, on the nature and model of the desired change.
Fear of a descent into chaos is reinforced by the events that occurred on the Syrian coast, particularly the killings of civilians under the pretext of revenge and retaliation. We are witnessing the spread of the identity war waged by these forces, or those belonging to the same extremist, fundamentalist, and abolitionist school of thought, against others of a different religious or other sect. All of this is fuelling fears and increasing tensions among societal components, or some of their members.
Despite the Transitional Authority's condemnation of these practices, its efforts to contain and halt them, and its adoption of the necessary measures to prevent their recurrence, the risk of slipping into identity clashes remains. The root cause of this lies in exclusionary doctrines fuelled by feelings of triumph and revenge. What is required, and this is no easy challenge, is for a comprehensive management of this ideology, from its roots and premises, to be firmly, clearly, and comprehensively placed on the agenda of the transitional process in Syria.
Arab solidarity and support, in particular, and the required international support, are more than essential for the success of the transitional process in Syria. As a reminder of the difficult and tragic humanitarian situation, which is thus vulnerable to exploitation by parties with their own agendas, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has indicated that 90 percent of the population lives below the poverty line, and that approximately 12.9 million citizens suffer from food insecurity. Therefore, what is required is to accelerate, but certainly not rush, the work to ensure the success of the transitional process towards building the new regime, which is primarily Syria's responsibility, even though it is more than necessary for Arab support to support this process.
Syria's stability is a fundamental Arab interest, and an interest for all who seek stability in the region. A new system based on political participation for all Syrian identity-based components. A system that promotes the concept of equal citizenship under the umbrella of a single state, so that diversity becomes a source of richness for true national unity, rather than a source of division that opens the door to all forms of foreign interference, regardless of the nature of that interference.