Three months have passed since the revolution in Syria on December 8, 2024, which led to the fall of the Bashar Assad regime. This period has largely been characterized by calm, free from conflict, despite lingering tensions from the nearly fourteen-year-long civil war and ongoing negotiations between the various parties. However, certain developments in Syria during the second week of March 2025 likely sparked a coexistence of opposing sentiments, not only among those within the country but also among Syrians in the diaspora and those who closely follow the Syrian issue. These developments were so significant that they could have either crippled the revolution or solidified its fate. On one hand, they induced deep anxiety and fear among Syrians; on the other, they provided new hope and joy.
Initially, the events that erupted on March 6 in the coastal cities of the western part of the country intensified fears that Syria could be plunged into a sectarian war, one that might activate existing fault lines and spiral the country back into chaos. However, the new administration in Damascus adopted a cool-headed, solution-oriented approach to the issue, along with media reports indicating that it had reached an agreement with the SDF military organization in the northeast—considered a likely source of conflict—as well as with the Druze in the south. These developments, in turn, led to a swift resurgence of hope and joy throughout the country. All of these opposing sentiments converged within just one week.
