Syria: An Odyssey of Existence Between the Struggle of Earthly Gods and the Geography of Blood

Syria: An Odyssey of Existence Between the Struggle of Earthly Gods and the Geography of Blood

Introduction: Geography as a Stage for Modern Myths
Geography is not merely a set of borders drawn on paper-;- it is a body bleeding history, a battlefield of narratives where the spirits of past and present empires clash. Syria, with its fragmented ethnic and religious composition, has become a geopolitical canvas where every regional player paints their own legend: Turkey revives the dreams of an "Ottoman Caliphate" in a modern guise, Saudi Arabia wields Salafism as a geopolitical weapon, and the Kurds carve their path toward recognition with their bare hands. Here, where the past meets the future, the wisdom of analysis is tested through a philosophical triad: insight (diving into the layers of history), awareness (deciphering the codes of the present), and foresight (envisioning the future through recurring patterns of existence).

Insight: History as a Chronicle of Prediction
Syria has never truly belonged to itself-;- from the Roman Empire to the Mamluks, it has always been a prize for conquerors. Today, history repeats itself with new players: Turkish neo-Ottomanism seeks legitimacy through rhetoric blending political Islam with nationalism, while Saudi Salafism weaves a religious network extending from madrassas to extremist militias. The Kurds, the indigenous inhabitants of this geography, pay the highest price in these grand games: their "de facto autonomy" in northern Syria is merely a card in a deeper struggle between those dividing the spoils and those denying them a seat at the table.

Awareness: Dissecting Reality Through the Lens of Contradictions
1. Salafism: The Illusion of Unity and the Reality of Division
Wrapped in the cloak of "returning to the roots," Salafism is, at its core, a political project disguised as theology. Its internal fractures—whether jihadist, missionary,´-or-revivalist—reveal the fragility of its unifying rhetoric. ISIS, born from the womb of Salafi thought, turned into a monster devouring its own creators. Even Saudi Arabia, the global exporter of Salafism as a unifying creed, faces internal rebellion from scholars demanding either greater extremism´-or-moderation, a paradox reflecting an identity crisis.

2. Neo-Ottomanism: Political Islam Caged by Nationalism
Turkey, once striving to export a model of "democratic Islam," fell into its own contradictions: dazzling democratic slogans crash against the harsh reality of Kurdish repression and military interventions in Syria. The "neo-Ottoman" project appears as nostalgia for an imagined past, while reality proves that Turkish soft power cannot compete with Saudi Arabia s financial and religious depth.

3. Secularism: The Stumbling Promise and Existential Necessity
Amidst this struggle, secularism emerges as the only viable path to saving Syria from sectarian doom. Yet Syrian secularism is far from pure—the Ba athist model failed to build a true citizenship-based state, instead becoming an instrument of repression. Nevertheless, the concept of a civil state (separating religion from power without excluding it from society) remains the sole guarantee for peaceful coexistence among Syria s diverse ethnicities and faiths.

Foresight: Envisioning the Future Through Patterns of the Past
History teaches that religious conflicts bring prolonged destruction, while nations that construct a unifying national identity survive fragmentation. Today, Syria faces two choices:

• Option One: Remaining a battleground for Turkish-Saudi influence, deepening divisions and perpetuating extremism.

• Option Two: Adopting a national model that acknowledges pluralism (such as Kurdish self-administration within a unified Syria) and redefining Syrian identity free from imported ideologies.


Conclusion: Syria Between the Myth of the Phoenix and the Illusion of Continuity
Will Syria rise from its ashes like a phoenix? The answer depends on whether its elites can break free from the binary trap of "regional dependency" and "international isolation." Secularism is not the enemy of religion—it is the sole guardian of its free practice. Salafism is not Islam, but an ideology that weaponizes faith. As for neo-Ottomanism, it is a mirage incapable of quenching history s thirst.

The future demands that Syria write its own legend—a myth that does not require earthly gods for protection, but rather a people who understand that the blood spilled on their land is a heavy price for the illusions of others.

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