The Turkish state is working to enable HTS (Hayat Tahrir al-Sham) to establish a reactionary system even more repressive and exclusionary than Baathism, thereby threatening Syria’s future and democracy. At the same time, Ankara seeks to eliminate the autonomous administrations, which have built democratic systems, through conspiracies and massacres.
The Damascus government’s withdrawal from the upcoming Paris talks highlights this reality. It is clear that Turkey demanded the pullout, and Damascus complied. The United States and France are fully aware of this dynamic. Turkey does not want any force that includes Kurds to be present in international discussions. Instead, Ankara has placed all of its bets on HTS, positioning itself in total opposition to the Kurds and refusing to change this stance. For its part, HTS does not embody a democratic mindset. It rejects pluralism and clings to an authoritarian, centralized model of governance, leaving it incapable of resisting Turkey’s plans or asserting independence from Ankara’s influence.
What is unfolding in Syria requires close attention. On the surface, the Autonomous Administration and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are negotiating with Damascus. In reality, however, it is Turkey that dictates terms and imposes conditions, while Damascus functions as little more than Ankara’s subordinate authority.
Damascus has now placed parliamentary elections on its agenda, announcing that voting will not take place in Sweida and in Northern and Eastern Syria due to “security concerns.” Yet in truth, the safest regions are precisely in the northeast. This narrative is a calculated distortion, designed to pave the way for further attacks.
Just as Damascus used “security” as a pretext to send forces into Sweida and carry out massacres, it is now portraying the autonomous regions as unsafe. The real motive is to exclude communities that refuse to submit (those who have become organized and politically conscious) from governance.
HTS, despite maintaining certain links with the Autonomous Administration, has excluded it completely from discussions about elections. In fact, HTS has transformed the process into a mere appointment system: out of 210 parliamentary seats, 70 are to be directly appointed by Ahmad Shara. This is not an election but an imposed selection, a practice that the autonomous regions refuse to accept.
Meanwhile, Syrian society remains unorganized and deeply impoverished. Hunger, poverty, and unemployment have crushed people. Added to this are the massacres of Alawites and Druze and the climate of fear these have created, eroding the ability of society to express demands or exercise political will.
The media apparatus once controlled by the Baath regime is now firmly under HTS’s authority. Alternative voices and perspectives cannot be expressed or published. Instead, HTS carries out systematic incitement against the autonomous regions, as well as against Alawites and Druze, labeling them “traitors,” “separatists,” or “agents of the U.S. and Israel.” This campaign, rooted in religion and Arab nationalism, pits communities against one another and deliberately fuels social tensions.
Elections are being used as a smokescreen to change the narrative and manufacture legitimacy. In reality, there are no political parties, no electoral law, and no organized forces competing freely. A commission handpicked by HTS simply declares certain names “elected.” It is not democracy but an appointment masquerading as an election.
Yet, after the collapse of a repressive system like Baathism, conditions were created for democracy to take root. Under normal circumstances, the people should have been energized, filling the squares to demand freedom, while democratic forces entered the political stage in an open and free atmosphere. Instead, the opposite has taken place.
The UN and Western powers should not have accepted this. UN Security Council Resolution 2254 clearly states that elections must be conducted according to specific rules and with the participation of all relevant parties. Yet the resolution is being disregarded as though it never existed.
By remaining silent, Western powers and the UN allow Turkey to manipulate HTS as it pleases. The Turkish government supports HTS unconditionally, pushing it to impose a centralized, authoritarian system. Ankara not only holds onto the territories it occupies but also interferes directly in Syria’s internal affairs, effectively mortgaging the country’s future.
Turkey seeks to erase the democratic option in Syria, enabling HTS to impose a system even harsher than Baathism, and moving to dismantle autonomous administrations through plots and violence. Far from resolving Syria’s bloody civil war, Ankara is actively fueling the conditions for another — seeking to pit Arabs against Kurds and sow the seeds of new hostilities.
This partnership between Ankara and HTS cannot be seen as a simple bilateral relationship. When the Paris talks emerged on the agenda, Turkey’s foreign minister rushed to Damascus, summoned Syrian ministers to Ankara, dictated terms, and secured the agreements it desired.
Syria is being run under Turkish tutelage. It is essential that the peoples of Syria — and all forces committed to democracy and freedom — recognize this reality.