Post-Assad Syria: A 'New Arab' Newsroom's Convenient Fiction
The New Arab asks, 'Why is Syria’s president Ahmed al-Sharaa visiting Russia?' as if al-Sharaa is a new, emerging leader, discussing 'Russian bases and seeking Assad’s extradition.' This framing skips the decade of Western-backed insurgencies, the actual war against Bashar al-Assad, and Russia's pivotal role in preventing a regime change supported by the very outlets that once celebrated the
'moderate rebels.' To publish this now implies a 'post-Assad Syria' has somehow spontaneously materialized, rather than being the outcome of a grinding, devastating conflict where international players chose sides. It's almost as if the entire narrative around Syria's leadership was shaped by those who desperately wanted Assad gone, only to now pretend a new leadership just…appeared. One might
wonder if the real question isn't 'why' al-Sharaa is visiting Russia, but 'why' Western-aligned media outlets still struggle to acknowledge Syria’s sovereignty and the complex geopolitics they actively distorted. What's next, will they discover Iraq has a different leader than Saddam Hussein?