After years of conflict and oppression under Bashar al-Assad and his father, Syria witnesses a historic shift as new leadership emerges. Michael Safi's journey reveals Syrians' mixed feelings: while they embrace newfound hope and a semblance of normalcy, they remain wary of the risks ahead. His conversations elicit stories of loss due to war, but also accounts of optimism. In Damascus, life returns gradually, although remnants of global jihadists remain. Reprisals against Assad's sect stir fears. Yet, many believe this moment allows them to reclaim their agency and rebuild their country.
Driving from Lebanon to Damascus with a family, he heard about the painful toll the years of war and repression had taken on them: a father killed, a brother disappeared, a sister jailed.
Although many worry about what the new government of former jihadists might do, as one civil society activist told him: Before the regime fell, we didn't have space to move. Everything was really dark. Now we have much to do in our country and I'm seeing a space to move.
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