The Morning After
NEED TO KNOW
The Morning After
SYRIA
A busy traffic circle in central Damascus lures Syrians celebrating the ouster of their former president, Bashar Assad.
Here, anti-regime songs, cheers, and car horns honking provide a soundtrack to a changing Syria.
Still, the crowd of thousands, often waving Syrian flags, has dwindled considerably in the two months since a lightning offensive by rebel fighters captured the country and deposed the Assad family who had ruled for more than five decades.
That’s because after celebrations, there’s always the morning after.
“In the early days after the fall of Assad, I was selling out of Syrian flags in all shapes and sizes,” Kahid Salih, a vendor at the circle, told NPR. “But sales have dropped along with celebrations … People are now so busy with working and trying to feed themselves.”
These days, the euphoria of liberation is transforming into the grim reality of picking up the pieces of their lives, of the country, and putting them back together again. It is a gargantuan task.
Almost every sector of the economy has been destroyed. Employment is scarce and incomes are low. Savings were wiped out as inflation spiked over the years, while the Syrian pound has all but collapsed. The infrastructure is in shambles – many Syrians don’t get a consistent supply of electricity or water. Entire towns and villages are decimated and housing remains an issue, especially with 7 million people internally displaced and 7 million more who fled the country, some of whom are now trying to return.
Meanwhile, years of economic mismanagement, corruption, and war hollowed out the foundations of governance, wrote the Australian Financial Review.
Still, the country is stumbling forward.
Last week, Ahmed al-Sharaa, leader of the rebel group that ousted Assad, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), became interim president. He had already been in charge of the country since the HTS and its allies deposed Assad. Since then, he has moved fast to complete his takeover, dissolving the country’s constitution, parliament, and political parties affiliated with the Assad regime. He is now expected to form a temporary legislative council and create a new constitution. Elections are expected in a few years after a census is taken.
He’s also tried to bring the security situation under control, working to disband all rebel groups and integrate their soldiers into a unified Syrian force. And he has tried to rebuild the police forces quickly to restore security and prevent looting and revenge attacks against Assad officials and regime supporters.
Still, hope breeds impatience: If al-Sharaa doesn’t address Syrians’ basic needs quickly, the government could lose its legitimacy. Analysts say that could lead to the country descending into chaos again, possibly fragmenting into warring fiefdoms. There is also concern that, in the absence of progress, the government may revert to the authoritarianism of the Assads to maintain control.
Meanwhile, the new leader has the world’s spotlight on him, too, as regional powers such as Israel, Egypt, Turkey, the Gulf states, and the West watch, hopeful but cautious, to see who he is and what he will do.
Al-Sharaa has distanced himself from his jihadist roots – the HTS was once affiliated with al Qaeda and other militant groups but broke with them almost a decade ago. Still, there are militants within his coalition and the US continues to designate the HTS as a terrorist group. He told the BBC that Western officials should reconsider that designation.
France has already removed some sanctions on Syria and other countries are considering it. “They’re the new ones in power,” said Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp. “We want to see how their words are translated into actions.”
That’s a problem for restarting Syria. The new interim government wants to privatize elements of its previously state-run economy in a bid to draw the foreign investment it badly needs to rebuild – but says it needs international sanctions lifted to do so.
Neighbors are even more cautious.
Still, since Assad’s fall, Israel bombed Syrian military sites in a move designed to make sure the new government Saana won’t gain access to deadly weapons. It seized territory in the Syrian-controlled part of the Golan Heights to create a buffer zone, Al Jazeera explained.
Al-Sharaa, who has asked for Israel’s withdrawal, offered reassurance that the new Syrian government would not threaten the Jewish state or allow Iran to reestablish itself in Syria, the Times of Israel reported.
Also, the Syrian government last week asked Russia to turn over Assad, who was granted asylum in Russia, in exchange for access to the two military bases that it had used to prop up Assad and for its operations in Africa. It also asked Russia for reparations for its role in the killings of Syrians and the destruction of the country, according to Sanaa, Syria’s state news agency.
Adding to the security issues confronting Syria’s new government is the reconciliation of its disparate communities, Alawites (Shiites), Sunnis, the Kurds, and others, who don’t trust each other after a 14-year war that has killed more than 600,000 people. And most don’t trust the HTS, even though the new leader has promised to govern with moderation and respect all minorities.
Analysts say it’s important to resolve this issue to ensure the fighting doesn’t threaten reconstruction. However, the Alawites, Assad’s sect, have been creating militias such as the Syrian Popular Resistance, according to Ahmad Sharawi of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. Clashes have already erupted between the Alawites and the HTS and other Sunni groups near Homs and elsewhere.
“It is highly likely that external actors will seek to exploit this chaos, particularly Iran, which has been accused of fueling the insurgency against HTS,” he wrote. “Additionally, the region holds strategic value for (Iran’s) broader ambitions, as it provides direct access to Lebanon, where its key proxy, Hezbollah, is eager to rearm and rebuild. A destabilized border corridor creates the ideal conditions for Iranian influence.”
At the same time, there are terror groups such as Islamic State waiting in the wings to regroup even as al Qaeda in Syria, known as Hurras al-Din, announced in January that it had dissolved, wrote the New Arab.
The West and regional powers should not wait to help Syria, says the Atlantic Council. Otherwise, not only will other actors such as Russia take advantage of Syria’s desperation, but also the long period of reconstruction could give oxygen to the region’s terror groups.
“The coming months will determine whether Syria’s post-Assad era will be a story of renewal or yet another missed opportunity,” it wrote. “Syrians are yearning for change, but they cannot carry the burden alone. And the stakes could not be higher – not just for Syria but for a region desperate for hope and stability.”
THE WORLD, BRIEFLY
Fuel on Fire
ISRAEL/ WEST BANK & GAZA
World leaders, Palestinian officials, and allies strongly condemned statements by US President Donald Trump this week that the United States should “take over” the Gaza Strip, remarks that observers said upend decades of US policy regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the BBC reported Wednesday.
Trump’s comments came during a Tuesday meeting between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, where he reiterated his plans to relocate around two million Palestinians from the enclave and transform it into the “Riviera of the Middle East.”
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas rejected the plan, calling it a serious violation of international law, while reaffirming that Gaza remains an “integral part of the State of Palestine.”
Iran-backed Hamas – which has ruled Gaza since 2007 – warned the move would “put oil on the fire” and destabilize the region. Palestinian residents, already facing severe humanitarian conditions after months of war, also voiced opposition, with one telling the BBC they would rather “die in Gaza than leave it.”
Middle Eastern countries, including US allies Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia, also rejected Trump’s proposal, CBS News wrote.
Jordan’s King Abdullah II emphasized his opposition to any land annexation or forced displacement of Palestinians, while Saudi Arabia reaffirmed that it would not normalize ties with Israel without an independent Palestinian state.
Egypt, which had already refused an earlier proposal to take in displaced Gazans, repeated its push for reconstruction without relocation.
Western allies and others also distanced themselves from the statements with French, British, Russian, and Chinese officials expressing support for a two-state solution.
Trump’s announcement comes amid ongoing negotiations for the second phase of a fragile ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas that ended the 15-month-long conflict in Gaza.
The war began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas and its allies launched an attack on southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages.
Under the initial six-week ceasefire agreement, Hamas has so far released 18 Israeli hostages, including an American citizen, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
The deal – in effect since Jan. 19 – is set to free a total of 33 hostages in its first phase, but fears have emerged that Trump’s remarks could complicate future exchanges. Hamas warned that any Israeli manipulation of the agreement could cause it to collapse.
Inside Israel, reactions to Trump’s statement were mixed.
Netanyahu praised the president’s “outside-the-box” thinking, while Israel’s far-right leaders openly embraced the proposal.
However, families of hostages still held in Gaza feared that the comments could disrupt the release of the remaining captives.
Meanwhile, Netanyahu reaffirmed Israel’s commitment to military action in Gaza, insisting that Hamas must be eradicated before peace could be achieved.
At the White House, he said that “you can’t talk about peace … if this toxic, murderous organization is left standing,” the Financial Times reported. His renewed pledge to continue the war has raised fears about whether current ceasefire negotiations will hold.
Also on Wednesday Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said the country had withdrawn from its observer status role on the UN’s Human Rights Council, the day after Trump reaffirmed the US’ withdrawal from the body and that funding for the Palestine-focused aid agency UNRWA would not resume.
The Integrity of Politics
GREENLAND
Greenland’s parliament passed a bill this week that will ban donations from “from foreign or anonymous contributors,” a move that comes ahead of the April parliamentary elections and calls by US President Donald Trump to take over the autonomous territory that belongs to Denmark, the Associated Press reported.
Passed on Tuesday, the new legislation is aimed at protecting “Greenland’s political integrity” and will take effect immediately.
It prohibits “parties, including local and youth sections” from receiving contributions specifically from contributors “who reside or are domiciled outside Greenland,” Axios added.
The bill also bans any single party from receiving domestic private contributions that exceed $27,700 in total, or about $2,770 from a single contributor.
The bill must be considered “in light of the geopolitical interests in Greenland and the current situation where representatives of an allied great power have expressed interest in taking over and controlling Greenland,” a parliamentary document said.
Tuesday’s vote follows comments by Trump, who has claimed that he would not rule out using military force to take control of Greenland, emphasizing that it is vital for US national security.
Greenland – an Arctic island with an area of 836,000 square miles and a population of about 57,000 people – is rich in minerals and home to a large US military base.
Greenlandic officials said the bill was “basically a preventative measure” ahead of the April 6 parliamentary elections. It is unknown if any foreign donors have contributed to the island’s political parties, but they added that some Russian politicians have shown interest in the resource-rich island, according to AP.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has previously said that Greenland is “not for sale,” but has echoed US security concerns about the Arctic region amid threats from Russia and China.
Earlier this week, she told reporters she will “never support the idea of fighting allies,” but “if the US puts tough terms on Europe, we need a collective and robust response.”
Crumbling Alliances
PHILIPPINES
The Philippines’ lower house of parliament impeached Vice President Sara Duterte on Wednesday for a variety of crimes, including threatening to assassinate the president, the misuse of millions of dollars in public funds, and failing to take a stand on Chinese actions against Filipino forces in the South China Sea, the Associated Press reported.
The impeachment complaint described Duterte’s conduct as displaying “gross faithlessness against public trust” and “tyrannical abuse of power,” while saying she is unfit to hold public office.
Duterte denied the accusations and argued she is the victim of a political vendetta perpetrated by lawmakers allied with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Among the representatives who voted for the impeachment are Marcos’ son and cousin.
The shock impeachment – signed by the great majority of legislators – is widely interpreted as an escalation of the bitter rift between the president and the vice president. Duterte’s brother, lawmaker Paolo Duterte, described it as an “act of political persecution.”
The vice president has, in turn, accused Marcos, his wife, and the lower house speaker of corruption, weak leadership, and sabotaging attempts with speculation that she wants to be the next president.
Duterte and Marcos – the former the daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte, the latter the son of ousted dictator Ferdinand Marcos – ran together in 2022, managing to win the majority of votes in the deeply divided Southeast Asian archipelago.
The alliance, however, started crumbling even before the two took office.
Once in office, they pursued separate political agendas and differed on important fronts such as diplomacy.
While Marcos has strengthened military ties with the US, Duterte’s father had fostered relations in the opposite direction, turning to China and Russia.
The feud peaked in November when during an online news conference, Duterte said she had hired an assassin to kill Marcos, his wife, and the parliamentary speaker if she were to be assassinated.
While Marcos dismissed the threat, the vice president said she was not threatening the president but expressing worries for her own safety.
The impeachment petition will now go to the upper chamber of parliament, which will convene as a court to try Duterte, who remains in office until a final judgment is issued, the BBC reported.
If found guilty, she will be forced to step down, becoming the first vice president in Philippines history to be successfully impeached.
DISCOVERIES
Playing Favorites
Most parents say they like their children equally, and they may even believe that.
But new research shows that most do have a favorite and often show subtle preferences.
“Most parents probably connect more easily with one child over another, whether that be due to personality, birth order, gender, or other things like shared interests,” lead author Alex Jensen said in a statement.
Jensen and his colleagues examined data from more than 19,000 individuals and combined their findings with a wide spectrum of peer-reviewed journal articles and unpublished dissertations to explain where parental biases come from, and how they can influence children throughout their lives.
The researchers analyzed “parental differential treatment,” which they described as the ways parents treat each child differently.
They sub-categorized this treatment into “differential affection, differential conflict, differential resources” – how much time a parent spends with their child or gifts given to that child – as well as “differential autonomy or freedom” – how much leeway one gives their kids, for example, explained Jensen in an interview with the HuffPost.
Parents are generally more lenient with younger children while granting firstborns more freedom and autonomy as they grow, becoming less controlling over them in adulthood.
The findings also showed that both mothers and fathers admit to slightly favoring daughters more than sons, even if children don’t usually notice. Jensen believes that this may stem from the stereotype that girls are “easier to parent” than boys, suggesting that playing favorites is not always a conscious choice.
Yet, personality is the one card that trumps all: Regardless of gender and birth order, parents will likely favor children who are agreeable, responsible, and organized.
Meanwhile, previous research found that children who perceived themselves as the least favorite child are more likely to develop mental health problems, substance abuse, and disruptive tendencies at home and school.
Favoritism also risks straining sibling bonds – children who feel less favored may be resentful of their siblings.
“Your children will let you know if they think something is unfair. Pay attention,” Jensen said.