Why Is Syria Choosing Neutrality?
“I came to one conclusion from Iraq: we must not transplant Iraq’s reality onto Syria. Every country has its own circumstances and its own challenges.
What I learned from Iraq is that the conflicts, divisions, and sectarian strife that devastated Iraq must never be repeated in Syria.”
That is how Syrian President Ahmad Al-Sharaa described the most important lesson he drew from Iraq.
What stands out is that Al-Sharaa is not focused on Saddam Hussein’s overthrow in 2003, but on what happened afterward. As Iraq’s state institutions collapsed, a power vacuum emerged. Sectarian conflict escalated, militias and extremist groups gained strength, while regional powers expanded their influence through proxy forces.
That is the scenario Al-Sharaa is determined to prevent in Syria.
It also helps explain why Syria has recently signaled that its priorities are domestic stability, economic reconstruction, and avoiding being drawn into regional power struggles.
From Al-Sharaa’s perspective, a weak Syria would easily become an arena for other countries’ competition. Only after the state is stable and strong will Damascus have greater room to pursue its own strategic interests.
#Syria #Iraq #Geopolitics #MiddleEast
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