On 8 December, Syria marked the first anniversary of its liberation from the Baathist dictatorship that had dominated the country since 1971. The spark of opposition during the Arab Spring of 2011—initially suppressed by the Assad regime—grew into a popular tide that ultimately toppled one of the most entrenched authoritarian systems in the region.

One year on, the question that looms large is whether Syria’s new leadership under Ahmad al-Sharaa can convert the symbolic end of Assad’s rule into a substantive national recovery.

A nation emerging from devastation

Syria under Assad endured catastrophic loss: millions killed, displaced across borders, or trapped as refugees; thousands detained, disappeared or tortured; and entire provinces destroyed beyond recognition. The Sunni majority bore the harshest brunt of state repression.

By the time Assad’s regime collapsed, the economy had completely unravelled. Employment had sky-rocketed, sanctions suffocated the state, investment had dried up, and Syria had become isolated from the wider Arab world. The country functioned as a battleground for competing regional powers, particularly Iran and its rivals.

Despite overwhelming Sunni regional opposition, Assad survived for years mainly due to unwavering Iranian and Russian backing—an intervention that hollowed out Syria from within.

The fall of Assad therefore represented not just a political shift but an end to an era defined by militarism, sectarian coercion and foreign entanglement.

A new leadership facing old burdens

Although it is important to bear in mind that decades of destruction cannot be reversed in a year or so—it needs sustained........

© Middle East Monitor