In an interview with the Strategic Council for Foreign Relations website about the developments in Syria and the recent attacks on the Syrian Alawites, Houshang Sheikhi said: The future of Syria will inevitably be shaped by the vicious cycle of violence due to the violent nature of the existing groups, the history of conflict and conflict between these armed groups, the lack of a comprehensive discourse umbrella of Syrian national identity, as well as the serious weakness of tolerance among the existing armed groups.

It should not be overlooked that power seized at the barrel of a gun is unlikely to yield to the ballot box. Especially in groups with a Salafist ideology, the owner of the weapon does not consider himself obligated to gain legitimacy or popular acceptance when implementing the rule of “conquest.” This attitude causes the cycle of violence with hatred against Syrian tribes and ethnic and religious groups, such as the Alawites, to continue with intensity by the forces under the command of Golani and turns the fate of Syria into a scene of internal conflict and hostility.

He said: In addition, with the draft constitution released by Golani, the contradictions in Syria will intensify because from top to bottom of the law will be a source of disagreement and conflict under the 53-article constitution.

This expert on regional issues clarified the international reactions to the recent developments in Syria and the killing of innocent Alawite people in this country by the soldiers affiliated with Golani: The international reactions to the widespread killing of Alawites in Syria were not on par with the crimes committed against Alawites and residents of coastal cities. If a similar crime had been committed by a power or political group not dependent on the West, the likelihood that its case would have been raised in the UN Security Council and brought under the mechanisms of Chapter VII of the UN Charter would have been very high. The moral advice of France, the US, and other Western and Arab countries regarding the killings and torture in the provinces of Tartus, Latakia, and Homs is nothing that can justify their association with Golani in recent months.

He continued: Amidst these events, a political-media campaign game has also been launched by the American actors because the surrender letter of the Syrian Democratic Forces was unveiled in the presence of Golani and Mazloum Abdi, the commander of the SDF, who had been flown to Damascus several times under the protection of CENTCOM forces and met with Golani off the record. Then, we suddenly witness images of a handshake between the two, followed by negotiations on the eve of the escalation of the public opinion sentiments in the region and the world against the massacre of Alawites. The two sides also signed an agreement providing for integrating the SDF into the Syrian army and transferring control of all civilian and military institutions in the northeast to the Syrian administration.

The story of Abdi’s surrender and his joint photos with Golani hit news headlines in all media outlets, somehow marginalizing the representation of the Alawite massacre and making the narrative of compromise prevail over the conflicting reality in Syria. Still, it cannot cover up the resentment in the field.

Sheikhi stated that the dynamics within Syrian society, the diversity and identity conflicts, the history of militancy, and the self-interested interventions of Westerners, especially France and the United States, at different times exacerbate the complexity of Syrian issues. He stated: “Analysis and review of the draft of the new Syrian constitution unveiled and announced by Golani completely reveals the traps of the constitution for Syria and the crisis-causing capacities of this constitution and Golani’s mentality, which also contradicts most of the declared values ​​of Europeans.”

This expert and researcher on Middle East issues continued: Since there is often a deep gap and rupture between the declared and implemented policies of the Europeans, it is unlikely that the Europeans will want to take a practical and decisive step to amend the announced draft of the Golani constitution to conform to their declared positions, because many of Europe’s allies already have warm relations with the Europeans with similar laws, and ultimately, to maintain prestige, as happened in the massacre of Alawites by the Golani forces, only investigative reports, statements of condemnation, and moral recommendations will suffice.