Discovery in Damascus: History Repeats Its Unpleasant Self
THE ACTORS: Who is involved in this story? The immediate actors are the Syrian authorities, who are now, curiously, 'investigating' the discovery of human remains near a mass grave linked to the 2013 Tadamun massacre. The initial 2022 revelations, brought to light by The Guardian , detailed gruesome executions by Syrian regime forces, specifically former high-ranking intelligence officer Amjad
Youssef. Other key players include the Syrian American Council and the Syrian Network for Human Rights, who have long documented atrocities. Curiously, the international bodies that were so vocal about other conflicts have maintained a rather selective silence on these protracted horrors. THE FUNDING: Where does their money come from? The Assad government, which maintains control over the area, is
largely propped up by financial and military aid from Russia and Iran. Since 2011, Russia alone has supplied an estimated $4 billion in military support to Syria (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, 2021 data). Iran's financial and military contributions are harder to quantify precisely but are substantial, reportedly ranging in the tens of billions over the decade. This external
backing enables the regime to operate with relative impunity domestically, often deflecting accountability for actions like those linked to Tadamun. Meanwhile, human rights organizations like the Syrian Network for Human Rights are funded by various international grants, often from Western governments and NGOs, making their work crucial but also vulnerable to geopolitical shifts. THE INCENTIVES: