After Assad's fall, many people worldwide are asking themselves the very same question: could Syria become a democratic country?
Tough question, accompanied by righteous doubts.
Anyone who wants to see Syria with a democratic regime also has some serious apprehensions. Thus, democracy and the Middle East have never been a good match and Syria is located in the heart of this complex region with a background which contains no democracy in it.
So, it is not easy.
Not easy to build a democratic state alone in the Middle East, yet alone with people who opened their eyes to a dictatorial regime and lived most of their lives with them.
But there is hope. There is always hope.
With all the disadvantages Syrians are facing, there are also numerous advantages awaiting them. The good ones. Advantages that are good enough to build a democratic country and the opportunities no Middle Eastern nation has had before.
First, the people of Syria have already achieved something monumental: they overthrew a tyrant and dismantled his cruel regime. Against all odds—fighting not only their brutal government but also Russian and Iranian forces—they persisted. While Western countries gave up on them, they didn’t. They stayed committed to their cause and fought.
They kept on fighting until the dream came true. Now they are free. As free as any nation could hope to be.
Yet again, the critical question: will they remain free?
Syrians did suffer. Not only during the Civil War but also before it. They endured things that no human being deserves. As painful as it was, this gave them a chance to build a strong character
There comes skepticism, but also hope. Hope with solid facts.
For one…
What they experienced -both before and during the war taught them a lot, but most importantly, they learned that their oppression was not because of one particular tyrant, but it was because of having a ruler who would make all decisions by himself with unlimited power. Now they know, for obvious reasons, that if it wasn’t Assad, but it was Ahmad or anyone else, for that matter, he would have behaved and acted the same immoral way. As it has been said, absolute power corrupts absolutely.
This is something. A good reason to build a country with a democratic regime. But there are still more reasons to have that democracy, and there is more proof to see that they are not far from it.
After the war started, millions of Syrians migrated to other countries, and many of them practiced democracy. With the difficulties of leaving their homeland and living in difficult conditions, many of them had the privilege of experiencing some real democracy.
They probably only knew the meaning of democracy, but now they have come to comprehend that democracy is the root of justice, wealth, and human rights. They have seen it with their own eyes, they witnessed it, and they experienced it. And not only for a couple of days but for years. Now they are all aware of what democracy is really about, and they undoubtedly have dreamed of how life could be a lot easier in their own country if they had a similar system all along.
They could gain all the motivation they need to create a democratic state by just looking at this picture. But this is not it. They have more to use to bring out good days. There is more to be motivated and more to realise that it is not impossible anymore.
There are various forms of learning; reading, research, and travel are the first ones that come to mind. But there is also another way. The way that is as efficient as the others if not more; cultural interaction!
Spending time in an environment with people from other cultures gives one an opportunity to gain a broad perspective and critical thinking skills, to appreciate freedom of speech and to have empathy. Millions of Syrians have had this opportunity for years. They have had a chance to learn from this valuable learning style.
They have moved to other states where they got to see, and observe, and learn from people who already live in a democratic society. They learned from the people who know the value of freedom. Now they are all more intellectual than they were before.
There is a fundamental psychological principle that asserts that difficult circumstances build strong character. More pain means more resilience and stronger people. It also means people with unique judgment skills.
Syrians did suffer. Not only during the Civil War but also before it. They endured things that no human being deserves. As painful as it was, this gave them a chance to build a strong character.
They were already strong people. Strong enough to know that they don’t want to live in an autocratic regime. Strong enough to fight for freedom, strong enough to overthrow a tyrant. But now, with all the hardships they have been through, they are stronger than ever.
At the end Syrians endured unimaginably. But they have also received some unique education in this period. Why not use this unique education to build a democratic country?
Democracy is a first-class lifestyle. A beautiful way of living. But no beautiful way of life comes in an easy form. It requires courage, it requires yearning. You have to ask for it, you need to fight over it.
Syrians now have a chance which may not last forever. There are probably millions of Syrians who desire democracy more than anything. But we could easily guess that some want to go the exact opposite way.
Critical times with the enormous amount of tension…
We will soon get to see the outcome of this period. And it looks like whichever group takes on a more dominant role in this process, whoever wants to go the extra mile, will get what they want.
The clock is ticking. For the Syrians who want to live in a democratic country with a freedom of speech, justice and human rights, now is the time to act!