The “official” position we have been hearing from Western governments regarding the presidential elections in Syria is not very far from the truth. However, the problem with the truth is that it changes according to what we see, or rather to what we wish to see, depending on the awareness and interests of the onlooker.
In the midst of the violence, death and destruction, Syria’s presidential elections weren’t held under normal conditions indispensable for any sort of elections. Not a single honest advocate of democracy in the world can deny this fact.
At the same time, no honest advocate of democracy, would expect bandits, takfiris and the mercenaries of oppressive regimes who dominated the scene in the months following the aborted uprising - as dictated by Western colonialists of course - to provide the Syrian people with a satisfactory alternative to the current political regime.
It is true that the Syrian regime, as other regimes in the Arab world, (except the current Tunisian model, as fragile as it is) has ignored the fundamental principles of freedom, pluralism, and the succession of power. Yet, the chance of achieving peaceful change was stolen from the people, and our decades-long dreams of progress have withered, just like the illusions of change that have, unfortunately, been crumbling before our eyes in many ways, from Benghazi to Cairo.
Yes, the Syrian regime is today the sole player controlling the rules and conditions of the game as well as its participants. However, it came out victorious from a global war waged against it by multiple forces that no one believes were seeking the best interest of the people in the region.
As the West preaches to us about democracy, it monopolizes the evaluation of good and evil and merges its civilized peaceful values with bloody strategic interests. But today, it’s time for it to finally admit defeat.
Here it is, just like Lady Macbeth, living its own nightmare as Western “jihadists” fighting in Syria are returning home.
In spite of everything, Syrian ballot boxes have a lot to say to those who want to listen. In fact, a significant segment of the population is rediscovering civilian life and is choosing the lesser of two evils.
This segment of the Syrian population voted for a political solution, and against the fake projects that took them into the abyss. They voted against fatal illusions that they may have believed in once upon a time.
The Syrian elections are a sign of climate change in the region. It is the end of the “Arab Spring” that was murdered by the West.
Pierre Abisaab is Vice-Editor of Al-Akhbar. Follow him on Twitter @PierreABISAAB
This article is an edited translation from the Arabic Edition.
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