In the months following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime on 8 December 2024, Syria was swept by a wave of euphoria. For many, the collapse of a brutal, overreaching system that had dragged the country into a prolonged war and mass displacement ignited unprecedented optimism. Damascus came alive with emotional reunions—exiles embracing loved ones, returnees greeting fellow returnees—while expectations soared beyond the realities of a shattered nation. Yet, as Ahmed Jassem Hussein observes, this “tide of hope” has proved volatile, shaped by internal aspirations and external pressures, teetering between belief and disillusionment.
A Surge of Optimism
The initial post-Assad period placed Syria firmly under the global spotlight. Regional and international delegations descended upon Damascus, assessing the newly installed leadership of Ahmed al-Sharaa—a figure with past ties to the Salafist-jihadist movement Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). Foreign ministers and diplomatic envoys signalled Syria’s apparent return to global relevance, generating a sense among Syrians that their country was once again at the centre of international concern. Social media posts on X captured the mood, with users referring to Syria’s “rebirth” and interpreting the influx of dignitaries as a sign of serious global engagement.
Syrian officials, buoyed by this attention, issued sweeping promises to rebuild the nation’s devastated infrastructure, often disregarding the immense practical challenges facing a country crippled by sanctions and economic collapse. Public discourse reflected similar enthusiasm, driven by a cultural tendency towards adventurous, all-or-nothing thinking. Conversations in cafés and online forums turned to grand development schemes, seemingly detached from the material and logistical constraints of post-war recovery. As Hussein notes, Syrians discussed politics and reconstruction “without walls or costs”—as though sheer willpower could substitute for planning and resources.
The Economic Reality Check
Yet the harsh realities of Syria’s economic landscape soon clashed with such optimism. Reconstruction, as Hussein stresses, requires more than ambition: it demands funding, equipment, skilled labour, and, crucially, time. Syria’s infrastructure remains in a dilapidated state, far below global standards. Longstanding sanctions continue to choke the economy, while liquidity shortages and systemic corruption hamper any attempts at genuine recovery. Public services remain dysfunctional, and the absence of political clarity further complicates development. Syrians, despite their elastic and entrepreneurial spirit, often underestimate these entrenched obstacles.
A Wake-Up Call
The tide of hope began to recede amid escalating violence, particularly in the coastal regions and Suwayda. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has documented more than 3,020 extrajudicial executions since December 2024—many targeting Alawite and Druze communities—revealing the precariousness of Syria’s security. Amnesty International’s July 2025 report described executions in Suwayda, verified through videos showing security forces killing unarmed civilians in homes and public spaces.
These incidents served as a sobering wake-up call. Coupled with ongoing Israeli airstrikes on Syrian targets throughout 2025, as reported by Reuters, they reminded Syrians that security remains elusive. The path forward now requires not just ambition, but caution—learning to move “backwards, sideways, and in circles”, as Hussein puts it, to avoid stumbling amid the uncertainty. The need to safeguard dreams with robust security measures has become abundantly clear.
The Battle for Hope
This fragile landscape has given rise to what Hussein terms a “battle for hope”. While many cling to the joy of Assad’s departure, drawing strength from memories of reunions and possibilities, a vocal minority—estimated at around 10 per cent—has embraced despair. This group, composed of sceptics, nihilists, and regime critics, derides the hopeful as “cheerleaders” for the new order and predicts imminent failure. The divide is evident across social media, with some hailing Syria’s potential and others citing continued abuses, such as the death of returnee Yusuf al-Labbad, allegedly tortured in custody, as proof of ongoing repression.
The hopeful, however, counter that cynicism offers no constructive path forward. They point to global engagement—EU delegations discussing repatriation, Turkey’s military cooperation agreement with Damascus, and broader regional involvement—as evidence of Syria’s continued relevance. While much of this engagement is driven by the international community’s desire to stem new refugee flows, it nonetheless reinforces the perception that stabilising Syria remains a global priority. Talks over targeted sanctions relief and Syria’s potential reintegration into the Arab League further reinforce this view.
Balancing Hope and Realism
Syria’s complexity—ethnic, religious, and geopolitical—makes it a focal point of competing global interests, with hope becoming a contested and fluctuating force. Hussein argues that the struggle to preserve this hope is as much moral and psychological as it is political or economic. Should Syrians abandon it, the descent into widespread despair would be swift. But unchecked optimism risks becoming delusion. Post-conflict transitions, by nature, are uneven and prone to setbacks. Managing expectations is essential to avoid further disillusionment.
There is, nonetheless, something uniquely resilient in the Syrian character. Hussein notes that even newborns in 2025—born amid instability and hardship—symbolise this defiant hope: premature, vulnerable, yet clinging fiercely to life. This hope is not naivety; it is existential. It is rooted in history, memory, and a collective belief in the nation’s right to survive, thrive, and reclaim its dignity.
Rebuilding Syria, Hussein concludes, is not merely about bricks and mortar—it is about embracing pluralism, endurance, and patience. The challenge now is to keep the windows of hope open without allowing them to obscure reality. Striking this balance—between dream and pragmatism, resilience and restraint—will determine whether the tide of Syrian hope lifts its people or leaves them adrift.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
