Mohsena al-Maithawi has been appointed to be the governor of the majority-Druze Suwayda Province. Al-Maithawi, who is Druze, is the first female Syrian governor in history.

[u/kaesura]

https://www.alarabiya.net/amp/arab-and-world/syria/2024/12/31/%D9%85%D8%AD%D8%B3%D9%86%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%AD%D9%8A%D8%AB%D8%A7%D9%88%D9%8A-%D8%A3%D9%88%D9%84-%D8%B3%D9%88%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D9%85%D9%86%D8%B5%D8%A8-%D9%85%D8%AD%D8%A7%D9%81%D8%B8

[u/MonkeysLoveBeer]

Can Iran be next without the Ayatollah and his goons please? 🙏

[u/kaesura → u/MonkeysLoveBeer]

There is actually a good amount of civil unrest now in Iran due to widespread black outs. Foreign adventures are getting discredited The law increasing enforcement of the hijab failed

I think once the ayatollah passes in a few years there will be a real chance for alot more reform.

[u/Lambchops_Legion → u/kaesura]

Maybe I'm completely off-base, but i definitely get some mid 80s Soviet Union vibes from Iran right now. feels like the Iranian government is getting more increasingly desperate to paper over larger and larger cracks. Idk if what will come after will be better or worse, but feels like they are just delaying the inevitable regime change.

[u/OnlyHappyThingsPlz → u/Lambchops_Legion]

Why do you get this feeling? I hope you’re right; but minor incremental reform to the popular will might be enough to quell the unrest, while still keeping the oppressive regime in place. Seems to me they have kept revolution at bay pretty deftly, unfortunately.

[u/ONETRILLIONAMERICANS → u/OnlyHappyThingsPlz]

Seems to me they have kept revolution at bay pretty deftly, unfortunately.

Realistically the way out isn't revolution but reformist elites winning an internal power struggle and slowly liberalizing the country.

[u/kaesura → u/ONETRILLIONAMERICANS]

Yeah . That's why the ayatollah dying or getting dementia is so key . He's the one holding back the reformists elites

[u/ONETRILLIONAMERICANS → u/kaesura]

He's the one holding back the reformists elites

Well there are also extremist elites so I don't think it's quite so clear cut. But obviously he isn't helping lol.

[u/Currymvp2 → u/ONETRILLIONAMERICANS]

Yeah, some people on here wrongly treat Khamenei as like a Saddam or an Assad who just holds the entire despotic regime together. After Ayatollah Khamenei, there are many radicals within the IRGC and other related entities including those who will want to turn Iran into a country with a government like Pakistan’s but obviously with even a more anti-West slant

The regime can still ultimately fall (and hopefully it does ASAP for everybody's sake), but this whole "Khamenei is the glue which holds the regime together or the only hurdle against progress" isn't true at all.

[u/ASDMPSN → u/kaesura]

When Khamenei croaks there will almost certainly be massive unrest, especially if he taps his kid as a possible successor. That would be seen as massively hypocritical especially since the Islamic Republic replaced a monarchy.

Iranians have showed many times since 2009 that they are able and willing to protest their awful government when they do something stupid. Their courage and resilience is well-documented.

The Ayatollah isn't who worries me, it's the Revolutionary Guard Corps. Khamenei has been old and possibly sick for years now, I'm sure he knows he'll be kicking the bucket soon. The IRGC, however, will be much harder to uproot.

[u/Okbuddyliberals → u/kaesura]

They need sane gradual incremental reforms. Once the current Ayatollah passes, they obviously can't do anything like getting rid of the current regime, but they can have some reforms, like having the first female Ayatollah (Kyrsten Sinema, a moderate independent who can be a compromise for both sides)

[u/West-Code4642 → u/Okbuddyliberals]

If they aren't down with a woman, I'm sure joe manchin would run for Ayatollah?

[u/ONETRILLIONAMERICANS → u/MonkeysLoveBeer]

inshallah

[u/Steinson]

Now Woke-Quaeda is even doing DEI. The east truly has fallen.

[u/sererson → u/Steinson]

Billions must live

[u/ONETRILLIONAMERICANS → u/sererson]

in the pod and eat the bugs

[u/aclart → u/ONETRILLIONAMERICANS]

Halal bugs

[u/kaesura]

She was reccomended by the Druze community leaders in Suwayda. Showing their power and influence but also showing the new government's courting of the Druze community.

I wouldn't be surpised if a large percentage of the non sunni political appointees in Syria are women. Because Assad regime was sexist so very few women were given enough political power or jobs in the security appartatus to be associated with its abuses. While at the same time, Syrian women are highly educated and hold a lot of technocratic jobs.

Al-Maithawi "“The appointment of Al-Mahithawi by the new administration in Syria is a continuation of the decision of the popular movement to nominate her for the position,” noting that Al-Mahithawi was the director of the Real Estate Bank in Sweida, in addition to her work in the control and inspection department in the governorat"

[u/Icy-Magician-8085]

I don’t want to ever have my hopes let down, but Syria is looking bright for 2025 so far. We’ll see how it goes.

!RemindMe 1 year

[u/credibletemplate → u/Icy-Magician-8085]

Should do a remindme for 4 years. Let's wait for the new constitution and the first elections

[u/Resident_Option3804 → u/credibletemplate]

Im gonna be honest, if it’s at peace, western oriented, and (relatively) liberal socially and economically, I’m gonna call that a win even if it’s not a democracy.

[u/Icy-Magician-8085 → u/credibletemplate]

I just want to see how it goes for the next year at least. I’ll keep making more as time goes on.

[u/Flagyllate → u/Icy-Magician-8085]

If they keep this up the biggest obstacles to their success will be if an imperialist Israel or Turkey take hostile positions to take advantage of the transition.

Edit: guys taking land from another country, as the golan heights were taken, and then doubling settlement to further colonize it, is actually imperialist, regardless of your motives for “security and stability” or that land’s value. Putting down independence movements supported by a group and people within and without your country, is also an imperialist action.

You guys are so mired in neocon policy you’ve lost the script and have turned imperialism into an idea that is impossible unless blatant. Although rarer today, it is still present. Imperialism doesn’t have to come exclusively from Darth Vader. I’m getting accusations of being pro-Russian despite being staunchly pro-Ukraine because I dared suggest hostile nations on a budding country’s borders may have imperialist intentions. I know lots of you play eu4 or some other game, but imperialism isn’t just making the world map a single color with the imperialism casus belli.

[u/kaesura → u/Flagyllate]

For Turkey , it's all about the sdf which the new government isn't fans of either. New government wants a diplomatic settlement but sdf and Turkish backed sna are fighting to gain leverage in negotiations.

Turkey doesn't want to take any Syrian land since they don't want more syrians than they already have . They want Syria to be the equivalent of Canada to the USA. Allied military with strong economic ties

For Israel , this appointment basically heads them off . Israel was considering setting up a druze buffer state . New government by sharing power with Druze is ensuring that the Druze won't support Israeli actions.

[u/niftyjack → u/kaesura]

Druze are loyal to their home country regardless of what that is, how they’re treated in Syria won’t affect how they live in Israel. They’re the only non-Jews in Israel with mandatory IDF conscription and they follow through at a higher rate than Jews do.

[u/FlightlessGriffin → u/niftyjack]

Pretty much this.

The Lebanese Druze (Jumblatt aside, he has no consistent policy) are loyal af to their homeland. They're not a monolithic bloc in the Middle East. In 2008, Hezbollah took over the road to the airport when the Saniora government tried disarming them, and when Hezbollah moved to the mountains where the Druze are, the Druze gunned them down. (I've also heard reports that Hezbollah were promised safe passage through the mountains by the Druze. If so, it's possible it was an ambush.)

[u/TabboulehWorship → u/FlightlessGriffin]

The poster you're replying to is wrong, and is spreading a commonly parroted falsehood about the Druze Arab identity (they are often weirdly tokenized by Israelis and people on this sub). Druze are "loyal" to their home country in so far as their home countries allow them to be independent, take care of their own affairs and keep their communal identity. This "loyalty" is based on pragmatism for their own self-preservation. If their home country does not play ball, they will take up arms. It's no different from any other conservative sectarian minority in the region.

If you view it through this lens, Jumblatt's flip flopping actually makes a lot of sense

[u/TabboulehWorship → u/niftyjack]

Druze are loyal to their home country regardless of what that is

This is not true. They are loyal to whoever gives them enough independence to take care of their own affairs by themselves. No different from any other minority in the region, except them being more belligerent about it due to historical factors.

[u/Flagyllate → u/kaesura]

Interesting stuff. I agree I do think Turkey and Syria can be strong partners in the future if they can reach a consensus on the SDF but will be the biggest issue going forward.

A Druze buffer state sounds incredibly optimistic but I suppose Israel would have preferred for Syria to at least have to deal with the prospect of Druze independence. Smart move by the new government for the moment.

[u/CIVDC → u/Flagyllate]

people complain about succs when neocons are much worse here 🙄

[u/Flagyllate → u/CIVDC]

There has been a substantial rightward lurch in this sub based on unfounded concerns of a minority of leftists. I fear people here have subconsciously consumed far more reactionary propaganda than they’d like to admit

[u/niftyjack → u/Flagyllate]

Neither Israel’s nor Turkey’s actions in Syria have been driven by an imperial land grab mindset. There’s more than one script.

[u/[deleted] → u/niftyjack]

[removed] — view removed comment

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

[removed] — view removed comment

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

[removed] — view removed comment

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

[removed] — view removed comment

[u/qchisq → u/niftyjack]

I mean, Israels land grab in the Golan Heights is not not imperial land grab

[u/niftyjack → u/qchisq]

Grabbing a strategic high point and intelligence choke point but nothing else when your historic but formerly relatively predictable enemy they’re actively at war with goes under complete upheaval isn’t imperial. Words have meaning!

[u/blewpah → u/niftyjack]

Netanyahu just said they're planning to significantly increase settlement in the area. There's more going on than strictly strategic defense.

[u/Flagyllate → u/niftyjack]

Taking land is actually an imperialist action, regardless of its value. Especially when you promise to double settlement in that area.

[u/[deleted] → u/Flagyllate]

[removed] — view removed comment

[u/Flagyllate → u/[deleted]]

I agree that taking land alone isn’t, making moves to settle further clearly suggest pushing for de facto annexation with eventual legal confirmation. Glad to know you think land is utterly incapable of being annexed if it hasn’t been folded into a formal law immediately.

[u/jaroborzita → u/Flagyllate]

They’re building more in land they annexed 40 years ago. Utterly irrelevant to whether their mini invasion of Syria this month was imperial (it wasn’t)

[u/Rifofr → u/[deleted]]

Syria and Israel have been in a declared war since 1948.

[u/jaroborzita → u/qchisq]

If you're referring to what they did this month, it's a temporary thing. They're planning to renew the status of forces agreement from 1974 when things stabilize.

[u/Sanggale → u/jaroborzita]

Says who? Bibi? Famously honest Bibi?

[u/jaroborzita → u/Sanggale]

🥱

[u/ThatShadowGuy → u/jaroborzita]

Very optimistic interpretation, especially when the Hebrew version of his statement said nothing about this being temporary.

[u/jaroborzita → u/ThatShadowGuy]

The assumption that this isn't temporary betrays ignorance of the situation IMO

[u/ThatShadowGuy → u/jaroborzita]

I'm not assuming. But even if it is, this just feels like such a blatant example of Netanyahu testing how much he can get away with, knowing that Trump is imminent and that there's no point in appealing to international legitimacy. Just do whatever makes you feel safest, morals and norms be damned, and come up with an unconvincing ex post facto justification for why it's okay later. "It's temporary" is not an adequate excuse for something that he shouldn't be doing to begin with,

[u/jaroborzita → u/ThatShadowGuy]

Syria is in a declared war with Israel. Israel doesn’t need a legal justification for military action

[u/seattle_lib → u/niftyjack]

every empire is completely justified in their own eyes. even if its not fashionable to call yourself an empire anymore.

[u/looktowindward → u/Flagyllate]

Neither is interested in imperialism. Both are interested in security and stability.

[u/heavy_metal_soldier → u/Icy-Magician-8085]

I'm gonna let Jolani and his fellas cook a little

For now they're cooking decently

[u/chitowngirl12]

Worst Taliban ever...sarc// Sharaa also met with a bunch of bishops and assorted Christian religious as well today. I'm starting to understand why the hardcore Islamist jihadist guys despise him. Any sort of strict Islamist worldview goes under the bus really fast in favor of what is pragmatic and politically savvy.

This is a win-win for everyone. The Druze get to flex their muscles and show their political influence with the new government and Sharaa gets to show the IC that he's willing to appoint women and minority to prominent positions and willing to play ball with groups outside his Idlib inner circle.

[u/RevolutionaryBoat5]

How is HTS being based?

[u/saucyoreo]

https://i.redd.it/fbpd5s1yb8ae1.gif

Keep going

[u/kaesura → u/saucyoreo]

Smaller scale. But they also appointed several female hospitals heads. Basically all well connected guys outside idlib are connected to the Assad regime so women appointees are the way to go lol . Assad being so sexist is helping syrian women now . For new regime , they prefer female appointees alot more than Assad collaborators

[u/BeaucoupBoobies → u/kaesura]

Don’t forget Female head of Central Bank

[u/saucyoreo → u/kaesura]

Funny how things work out. I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop with this new government but they keep just exceeding my expectations. I hope it stays that way.

[u/nuggins]

Decline Syria hopium challenge [IMPOSSIBLE]

[u/Warm-Cap-4260]

Pshh another woke DEI hire. Truly the west has fallen /s

[u/hlary]

I have to imagine that this, on top of all the previous steps beforehand, is starting to attract ire from conservative Muslims outside of Syria, yeah?

[u/kaesura → u/hlary]

They don't really matter. He just needs to keep his army loyal . He purged the hardcore fundamentalists so that should be fine

[u/PeridotBestGem → u/hlary]

I mean I don't think the Saudis or whoever would care that much about this, it might piss off the Taliban but they're not exactly in a position to be bankrolling anyone anyway lol

[u/Turnip-Jumpy → u/PeridotBestGem]

Saudis plan to artificially reform

[u/bornyear2003 → u/hlary]

Why exactly would conservative muslims inside or outside of syria care about this? Im arab and muslim and your concern is so far fetched

[u/hlary → u/bornyear2003]

Well im operating under the assumption that Muslims being governed by female non Muslims isn't considered normal in most Muslim majority countries. Not that would mean all would care which is why I specified 'conservative', people who would have a more chauvinistic attitude towards this short of thing.

[u/Fylkir_Mir → u/hlary]

It's a heavily Druze majority region though, and a decent amount of christians on top of that, very few muslims there specifically.

[u/Antique-Entrance-229 → u/hlary]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Muslim_women_heads_of_state_and_government

its not anything new

[u/Turnip-Jumpy → u/bornyear2003]

Go on twitter,also he didn't mean all muslims,he meant conservative Islamists

[u/kaesura]

!ping middle-east

[u/groupbot → u/kaesura]

Pinged MIDDLEEAST (subscribe | unsubscribe | history)

About & Group List | Unsubscribe from all groups

[u/mlee117379]

“We are growing larger. More make their way to our fortresses every day. Men and women. Young and old. From different lands. Of different faiths.“ - Altaïr Ibn-LaʼAhad

!ping GAMING

[u/groupbot → u/mlee117379]

Pinged GAMING (subscribe | unsubscribe | history)

About & Group List | Unsubscribe from all groups

[u/heavy_metal_soldier]

Fellas I ain't gonna lie

I might let Jolani cook a little

[u/Okbuddyliberals]

Half of all (former) Al Qaeda cabinet members, governors, generals, and militants should be women ✊🇯🇴

[u/savuporo]

based <image>

[u/pseudoanon]

They want Western tires ties, ASAP.

[u/flexible_spec_pool → u/pseudoanon]

Western tires for western cars

[u/lnslnsu]

Anyone have the text of the article? I get a “the owners of the site have banned your access” page when I click on it

[u/TIYATA → u/lnslnsu]

Archive: https://archive.is/sWc8W

[u/lnslnsu → u/TIYATA]

Oh lol it’s in Arabic never mind

[u/2017_Kia_Sportage]

So were the people claiming that HTS is literally Al-Qaeda being somewhat dramatic?

[u/jaroborzita → u/2017_Kia_Sportage]

HTS is the successor group of an Al Qaeda affiliate. Their political position has changed significantly in the last ten years.

[u/West-Code4642 → u/jaroborzita]

Aq was a big tent

[u/kaesura → u/2017_Kia_Sportage]

I mean Jolani technically did pledge loyalty to al Qaeda central before betraying aq.

But for him, it's clear that they were just a brand he took advantage for street cred and money before betraying them

[u/SRIrwinkill]

Holy shit, them talking reform actually sounds like they were actually serious

[u/Turnip-Jumpy]

You forgot the Islamism of public schools a tool used in Islamist and authoritarian govts