The latest deadly clashes between Damascus forces and Druze militias in Suwayda are not an isolated local incident; they are a stark symptom of how the external “transition project” for Syria has failed. No, US and EU policymakers: this is not the way to build a new democratic, multicultural Syria.
Months of selective backing for the “interim government” and its affiliated structures have fractured Syrian society instead of empowering a genuine, inclusive opposition. That support has contributed to deepening mistrust, feeding parallel centres of authority, and encouraging local actors – including in Suwayda – to see power as something to be seized through arms and patronage, not through democratic consensus. The turmoil inside the Druze community, torn between loyalty to the state, local self-defence, and external courting, is in part a by-product of this fragmented, externally designed architecture.
Israel’s interventions further complicate the landscape. Whether through direct strikes, covert operations, or signalling that prioritises narrow security interests over Syrian stability, these actions fuel suspicion among communities like the Druze, who already fear becoming pawns in a regional game. They reinforce the perception that Syria is a chessboard on which others move pieces, while Syrians themselves pay the cost.
At the same time, Turkey and several Arab regimes have issued a de facto blank cheque of political and material support to yesterday’s jihadists, repackaged today as “interim government” representatives. This whitewashing of hardline factions under the banner of democracy undermines any credible path towards pluralism and rule of law, and alienates large segments of Syrian society—including minorities watching the Suwayda front with alarm.
Syrians need time, courage, and clarity to confront the dead-end of militarised politics, to silence weapons, and to begin searching for democratic solutions to their problems without foreign interventions and proxy agendas. Anything less risks turning Suwayda into yet another permanent fault line in a shattered country.