Ribal al-Assad, first cousin of toppled Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, has given an exclusive interview to Brussels Signal following the former Syrian leader’s recent flight to Moscow and the fall of a family regime that dominated Syria for decades.
In his conversation with Brussels Signal on 10 December, Ribal al-Assad provided an in-depth analysis of the situation in Syria and the Middle East after two weeks of chaos that culminated in Syrian capital Damascus’ surrender with virtually no resistance on December 8.
Born in Damascus himslef in 1975, Ribal has been a key figure in the opposition to his cousin’s regime. He has been working from exile due to threats made over his pro-democracy activism. The December 1 overthrow of Bashir al-Assad confirmed his predictions of regime collapse.
During the interview, he addressed crucial issues such as the possibility of establishing democracy in Syria in a context marked by a fierce power struggle between various groups, including Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), still classed as terrorists.
In this complex scenario, Turkey has emerged as a determining actor, not only because it supports Islamist militias used as proxies in the conflict,but also because of its ambitions to consolidate itself as a key power in the reconfiguration of the Middle East.
Ribal’s’s warning of “Don’t leave Syria to Erdogan” reflected his deep concern about the risk of Damascus becoming a satellite of Ankara.
He also said he saw an opportunity for change: Syria can transform itself into a democracy based on a constitution that guarantees the rights of its cultural and religious mosaic. However, this will not be possible without the support of the West, he acknowledged.
Discover these and other reflections in our exclusive interview with Ribal al-Assad, which will be available on Decemmber 11 on the Brussels Signal YouTube channel.
A resurgence of Islamic State is likely following the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has warned. https://t.co/phBqeSEDEw
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) December 10, 2024
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