Picking Up The Pieces: How Syrian Society Has Changed

We can all imagine that seven years of war have taken a brutal toll on Syrian society. But today, with narratives of the 'victory' of Bashar al-Assad's regime over the rebel opposition, it's more important than ever to move past lines on a map and examine what that 'triumph' really means. The Synaps Syria team has provided a devastatingly poignant picture of the extent to which society has suffered, and the lengths to which average civilians are forced to go to survive in the Syria Bashar al-Assad destroyed in order to rule over the ashes.

The depopulation of the country has forced the economic landscape to grind to a standstill. Most families have lost one or more sons to the war, while the remaining male family members have either been conscripted already or are in hiding, unable to leave the house for fear of arrest and deployment. Militias terrorize nearly the entirety of government-held territory, extorting from civilians while also providing the only reliable source of income for many—the state and rule of law are entirely absent. Looting and the systematic cannibalization of infrastructures continue to serve as the primary economic drivers. Syrians have been driven apart by a reimposed climate of fear, forced into ever-smaller communities based along sectarian, class, and family lines. Most only get by with remittances from family abroad or, if very lucky, taking advantage of one of the very few new avenues of work that have surfaced in the war years.

The authors paint a picture of a country utterly destroyed, a society broken. There is and will be no resolution, no 'reconciliation' of the type the government (and UN Special Envoy to Syria, Staffan de Mistura, the regime's most useful idiot) continue to trumpet. Syrians themselves show an incredible resilience, and have managed to survive to some small degree. This is crucial, because the world has abandoned them and their government exists only to feed on the carcass of state and society.