Syria has returned to its position as an ordinary member of the Arab League. The question, which we have been contemplating since it was expelled, of whether the decision to exclude Syria was the proper course of action, has become irrelevant.
Similar cases have occurred in the past. Indeed, even the historical headquarters of the Arab League Egypt had been expelled once before Syria. Indeed, the Arab League relocated its headquarters from Egypt, only to eventually return despite the fact that the reasons for Egypt’s expulsion remained.
With the full reinstatement of Syria to the Arab League, it will now play a role in all of the League’s institutions and attend upcoming summits.
This raises several questions. How much will Syria benefit from its reinstatement? Could this be the beginning of the end of Syria’s complex crisis, after it turned into a battleground in which an array of foreign powers fight it out to further their agendas? These forces are unlikely to sacrifice the influence that they have garnered. Indeed, their involvement in Syria has come at a heavy price and has become a pillar of their current and future policies.
Unfortunately for Syria, the Arab states hold the least influence among the powers grappling for control over the country. Israel and the United States maintain a significant presence on the ground and in the air. Russia has achieved its longstanding goal of securing a foothold in warm waters. Iran is pursuing an expansive agenda that goes far beyond Syria. Türkiye, which shares history, geography, and the challenges of earthquakes, security, and refugees, with Syria, plays a pivotal role in Syria.
And all of these actors, especially Russia and Iran, see their involvement in Syria as a strategic investment. They believe that everyone must live with, as they are partners in everything, the regime only survived because of their support. And in politics, everything comes at a price!
However, the most important thing to keep an eye out for, the most significant factor for Syria’s future, is the Syrian people themselves, who wreaked more havoc on the country than anyone else. This resilient nation has been torn apart. Millions of refugees have been forced to flee their homeland and millions more, with nowhere else to go, are trapped within its borders.
There is no computer on the planet that can give an accurate tally of the number of homes destroyed, lives lost or destroyed, and citizens imprisoned and displaced. No computer currently at our disposal can tell us how many years Syria has been taken back or how many years it will take for the country to go back to where it had been before the war.
Looking at the current state of affairs in Syria as the war continues to rage on, we cannot avoid skepticism about how useful bringing Syria back to the “Arab fold” will be for resolving this dire situation. The Arab fold, in its present form, does not have the capacity to comprehensively address and resolve the multifaceted crisis plaguing Syria.
While Syria’s reinstatement into the Arab League was a positive step. However, what the country truly needs to do to overcome its tragedy is look inward. It must bid farewell to the old Syria, which has just undergone the worst calamity in its history. There can be no hope of overcoming it, replicating the old way of doing things and presenting its previous approach as a victory.
The resolution will not be Russian, Iranian, American, or even Arab. We must learn the lessons of the Arab Spring. It demonstrated that those who managed to evade its calamities were the countries with a national fabric stronger than those who tried to break it.
Could we see the birth of a new Syria at the hands of the Syrian people? A democratic Syria with a political system that satisfies all of its citizens through free and fair elections in which no one receives 99.9% of the vote is pivotal.
Having someone representing Syria at Arab meetings and discussions does not hurt. However, it only can become genuinely beneficial if it gives rise to a new Syria. Although the path to change may seem difficult because old habits die hard, it is the best way to allow a new Syria to rise.
Only strong national fabrics and institutions can close the door to foreign agendas. This can only be achieved when every Syrian citizen feels a sense of belonging to the state and society. Are we witnessing the beginning of a journey in this direction?
