After greater than a decade of conflict, and half a century of repressive rule below Bashar al-Assad and his father, Syrians have a brand new ruler and a brand new future. Michael Safi spent every week travelling across the nation, chatting with individuals about their surging hopes and pleasure – but in addition their fears of how fragile this peace may show to be.
Driving from Lebanon to Damascus with a household, he heard in regards to the painful toll the years of conflict and repression had taken on them: a father killed, a brother disappeared, a sister jailed. However additionally they advised him how optimistic they nonetheless had been for this second of historical past.
In Damascus, he found regular life had begun creeping again – however that world jihadists had been nonetheless manning checkpoints. And he spoke to an support employee who stated his British citizenship had been revoked and who may quickly be a brand new Syrian nationwide.
Exterior town, nonetheless, Michael discovered that the Alawites, Assad’s non secular sect, had been already dealing with bloody reprisals. However though many fear about what the brand new authorities of former jihadists may do, as one civil society activist advised him: “Earlier than the regime fell, we didn’t have area to maneuver. Every thing was actually darkish. Now now we have a lot to do in our nation and I’m seeing an area to maneuver.”
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