Syria Expert Kristin Helberg Optimistically Views the Country’s Future After the Assad Coup
Kristin Helberg, a Syria expert, views the country’s future after the Assad coup with cautious optimism. “The Syrians have reached a point where they no longer wish for anything but to live in peace and stability with one another” she said in an interview with “Jung und Naiv”.
After the regime’s end, the Islamist rebel group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), took control and has been actively engaging in the transition.
HTS leader Mohammad Al-Julani has shown a pragmatic approach in the years leading up to the coup, and has seemingly been trying to find a good consensus, said Helberg. He has managed to bring the revolution to a successful end. “Despite the skepticism, this is a momentum that should be used” the journalist said.
Al-Julani has excluded radical fighters from the rebel organization and promised to protect minorities. He has also spoken of federalism and extended a hand to the Kurdish forces in Syria. “The man is doing everything right in the last two weeks” Helberg said. “So far, it’s all rather hopeful.”
“The most important thing is that the state does not collapse” Helberg said. This is particularly challenging, as all institutions have been oriented towards maintaining Assad’s power. If the state were to collapse, and all groups continued to fight for influence in Syria, it could lead to a “worst-case scenario.” However, “no neighboring country wants a ‘failed state'” the expert argued.
A scenario like Afghanistan, as warned by former SPD leader Sigmar Gabriel, is unlikely, Helberg believes. The high educational level of the Syrians and the country’s diverse geography make such a scenario unlikely.
Kristin Helberg, a free journalist, lived in Damascus from 2001 to 2008, where she was the only officially accredited Western correspondent for a long time.