After Syria's Civil War, Has the 'New Syria' Truly Become New?

It Is Still Too Soon to Say "Spring Has Come to Damascus"

In December 2024, the world was stunned. The Assad dynasty that had ruled Syria for 54 years collapsed in barely ten days. Bashar al-Assad fled to Russia, and Damascus citizens took to the streets in celebration. Now, approximately 15 months later on this day in March 2026, what does Syria look like?

The Scars of Civil War: Tragedy in Numbers

The Syrian civil war began with the 2011 Arab Spring and dragged on for 13 years. The UN estimates over 500,000 dead, and nearly half the total population — some 12 million — became refugees or internally displaced. Major cities including Aleppo, Homs, and Raqqa were reduced to rubble by bombardment. Some estimates put infrastructure damage at over $400 billion. In this land, "reconstruction" is an overwhelmingly large and heavy task.

The New Government: HTS's Two Faces

The force currently governing Syria in practice is Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). Though it originated from an al-Qaeda affiliate organization, leader Abu Mohammed al-Julani has emphasized to the international community that "we have changed." Indeed, the new transitional government has shown some gestures of including minority sects and women, and has refrained from retaliatory executions.

Yet reality is complicated. Conflict with the Kurdish autonomous forces (SDF) continues to lead to armed clashes, Israel repeatedly conducts military operations on Syrian territory while occupying the Golan Heights buffer zone, Turkey maintains influence through pro-Turkish rebels in the north, and the residual networks of Iran — Assad's former backer — have not entirely vanished.

Those Who Hold the Keys to Reconstruction

The lifting of Western sanctions is essential for Syria's reconstruction. The US and EU have not yet fully revoked HTS's terrorist organization designation. While some sanctions were eased from late 2025, large-scale international investment remains blocked. Gulf states, particularly Saudi Arabia and the UAE, are cautiously opening diplomatic channels. Whether their capital flows in will determine the pace of reconstruction.

The refugee return issue is also pressing. Syrian refugees scattered across Lebanon, Jordan, and Turkey want to return home, but their houses are in ruins and there are no jobs. Safety is not fully guaranteed either.

Films and Dramas About the Middle East

Syria's suffering has reached the world through the screen as well. The documentary "For Sama" (2019) vividly captures the reality of life amid bombardment in a letter-like format from a female journalist to her daughter during the Aleppo siege. An Academy Award-winning work, it is still considered the most powerful primer for understanding Syria.

The Lebanese film "Capernaum" (2018) features a Syrian refugee child as a key character, sharply indicting the legal statelessness and poverty experienced by refugee children. Having cast a non-professional actor who was himself a Syrian refugee, its realism is exceptional. However, the film focuses on the Lebanese social context and is somewhat distant from Syria's internal political situation.

"The Square" (2013) covers the Egyptian revolution but resonates strongly with today's Syria through the theme of "democracy after dictatorship." The paradox that power struggles continue even after revolution is strikingly similar to the reality Syria now faces.

Spring Is Still in Progress

The end of dictatorship in Syria does not automatically bring peace. History teaches this lesson repeatedly: true reconstruction takes far longer to build trust than to build buildings. On the streets of Damascus in March 2026, the gunfire has not yet fully stopped. But in the eyes of the people walking those streets, something remains that refuses to give up.