Damascus Authority… Between Ideology and Foreign Influence

Analysts believe that, as a result of the actions of the Damascus authority, Syria is closer than ever to slipping into a civil war. They argue that this behavior stems from the ideological stance this authority still holds, despite its claims of having moved beyond the past and changed its thinking.

Political sociology researcher Mais Kreidi attributes this to two fundamental factors that must be considered when evaluating the nature of the new authority in Damascus.

The first: this authority includes "terrorist-designated organizations" that came with it and now form part of its structure.

The researcher points out that despite claims of reform in both image and rhetoric, “its ideological history, practical trajectory, and intellectual composition still clearly point to its core project — the establishment of an Islamic Caliphate.”

Mais Kreidi believes that this reality “raises serious doubts about the intentions of this authority and places it under suspicion — particularly given its track record of violence and exclusion of others. From this standpoint, its suitability to lead a transitional phase is highly questionable. Even if parts of it could theoretically be rehabilitated — which I doubt — the process would require a long and complicated path.”

The second factor, according to the researcher, lies in the authority’s close ties with Turkish intelligence. She affirmed that the current Damascus authority “acts solely according to Ankara's directives. The level of dependency has reached the point of outright guardianship, which cannot be denied — especially in light of its prior relations with certain international intelligence agencies.”

Kreidi concluded that we are now facing “an authority characterized by ideological and organizational extremism on one side, and total loyalty to a foreign power — Turkey — on the other.” She emphasized that this “makes it more of an executive tool for Turkish intelligence projects than a national entity capable of building an inclusive Syrian social contract.”

As for solutions, the political sociology researcher believes they “lie in returning to the United Nations resolutions, particularly Resolution 2254, to ensure a political transition process under strict international supervision, involving all components of Syrian society.”

She also called for international monitoring to include investigative and fact-finding committees, especially for crimes committed in the coastal regions and in Sweida against the Alawite and Druze communities, among other massacres. Moreover, she stressed the urgent need for genuine international sponsorship in drafting a new constitution that guarantees full participation and lays the foundation for a unified civil state.

She concluded by stating that “this new authority has brought with it a totalitarian vision more extreme than any authoritarian model Syria has seen in its modern history.”

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ANHA