Hikmat Habib: Democratic decentralization key to Syria’s stability

Politicians believe that achieving peace in Syria is linked to building a democratic system that recognizes pluralism and guarantees fair participation for all Syrians.

In this context, ANHA Agency conducted an interview with Hikmat Habib, a leader in the Arab National Body and a member of the Syrian Democratic Council, to discuss ways to resolve the Syrian crisis and the possibility of achieving peace and democracy in the country, as well as how to guarantee the rights of all components of the Syrian people within a shared political future.

Habib stated that Syria lived for many decades under a centralized authoritarian regime, explaining that this system led to division and fragmentation within Syrian society. This situation pushed the people to take to the streets and demand change and the establishment of a democratic system.

He added that the country has endured more than a decade of harsh conflict that caused destruction and displacement, both through internal displacement and migration abroad, in addition to severe damage to infrastructure and increased divisions within Syrian society.

Habib pointed out that the message of Abdullah Ocalan regarding peace and democratic society reflects positively on a solution in Syria through reaching a democratic settlement. He stressed that benefiting from this call and applying it practically in the coming phase would be among the essential factors to end the conflict in Syria, noting that practical steps later emerged within the framework of this message.

He also noted that Syria is a country with a rich civilization and long history in the Middle East and historically served as a gateway for different civilizations. However, centralized authoritarian regimes distanced Syria from its humanitarian environment and civilizational role by excluding various components, and even excluding members of the same component at certain stages, which kept Syria captive to authoritarian centralized systems for decades.

Habib stressed that Syria cannot regain its civilizational and humanitarian role in the future, particularly in the Middle East, unless all components obtain their rights, whether Arab, Kurdish, or Syriac, noting that these components have suffered to varying degrees from the policies of centralized regimes.

He also addressed the Kurdish issue as one of the unresolved national issues over past decades, explaining that policies aimed at assimilating Kurds into a single identity and name, along with what Syriac-Assyrians experienced, created tension within Syrian society.

He added that Syrian Kurds who carry Kurdish identity live on this land but have not felt full belonging due to being deprived of practicing their cultural and political rights, in addition to many being stripped of citizenship.

Habib stressed that the issue of the rights of components is a fundamental matter for Syria’s return to its natural place as part of the international community and its contribution to building human civilization. He warned that ignoring this issue could once again return the country to the cycle of authoritarianism and push it into a new tunnel that distances it from its natural role in the region.

He explained that discussing Syrians’ rights is linked to building a state of citizenship and a democratic decentralized state based on a comprehensive Syrian identity, away from violations, and allowing all components to belong nationally to Syria by guaranteeing their rights within a democratic decentralized system capable of ending the conflict.

Habib pointed out that Syrians were hopeful after the fall of the Baathist regime about the possibility of building a new Syria, but fears still exist among many Syrians about returning to a centralized state.

He added that the experience of Rojava, which has continued for more than a decade, has formed a model based on the brotherhood of peoples and coexistence among different components, considering it a ray of hope from which Syrians can benefit in building their shared future.

Habib emphasized that Syria still faces major challenges, particularly the prevailing mentality among many political forces. Over the past years, numerous forums and meetings were held at the Syrian level and with democratic forces inside and outside the country to stress the necessity of building a democratic decentralized Syria as the main path to guarantee the rights of components and build a state based on unity in diversity.

He concluded by stressing that democratic decentralization does not mean separation as some claim; on the contrary, it represents a strength for Syria’s future. He emphasized that a real solution to Syria’s problems, especially the issue of its components, cannot be achieved without a democratic decentralized system in which all components are equal in rights and duties.

ANHA