Syria under new leadership: chaos or hope? The first steps of the transitional government!

Syria under new leadership: chaos or hope? The first steps of the transitional government!

With the takeover of power by Ahmad al-Sharaa in Syria, violent clashes between the new rulers and loyal supporters of the former President Bashar al-Assad are sparked. On Thursday, the new government in Damascus started a brutal approach to Alawite forces connected to Assad. According to the British Observatory for Human Rights, about a thousand people, mostly civilians, have died in just two days. These brutal acts of violence have been the hardest for years, with women and children of the Alawite minority being among the victims. Representatives of the government recognize defects in the implementation of the measures, but blame for unorganized civilians who have committed crimes during the fights, as [Kleine Zeitung] reports.

New leadership style and personnel decisions

al-Sharaa has made the first personnel decisions in the past few days to reorganize the power structure after the fall of the Assad dynasty. Mohammed al-Bashir was appointed the new Prime Minister in a central role, while Murhaf Abu Kasra will act as Minister of Defense. These decisions are crucial for the integration efforts of the rival militia groups operating in Syria. Particularly noteworthy is the appointment of Maysaa Sabrine as director of the central bank, which is the first woman in this role in Syrian history. These steps were interpreted by the political scientist Bente Scheller as a sign of a possibly new approach, since the new responsibilities are faced with the challenge of stabilizing the country after years of conflict, as reported.

The political ambitions al-Sharaa are profound. A new constitution is to be developed in the next four years before regular elections can take place. While the first diplomatic contacts form at the international level, the new management team is under pressure. Without a mitigation of the western sanctions, the reconstruction of Syria will be difficult to implement. However, the recent violent scenarios throw shadows on the possibility of peaceful communication and stable government formation in the country. Al-Sharaa now also meets with various religious leaders, including Christian clergymen, to remove minorities, which indicates a strategic attempt to achieve a wide range of support, as the reporting of [ZDF] and [Kleine Zeitung] shows.