Let's have a GeograTalk.

So, first off, I don't typically make this type of video on my channel because this is not a news channel.

I don't do the news.

You know, I try to focus more on long-term content that can be re-watched and it's not confined to a specific date.

But once in a while, a global event occurs that kind of, at the very least, I guess, urges me to give you guys an update in regards to a previous video on the channel or content I've made because the world is ever-shifting and evolving and that's just kind of how things are.

So, as you know, we made the Syria episode back in 2021.

And back in those days, it was still under the Assad regime.

You know, I'm gonna stand...

What the hell?

I'm gonna sit over here.

It's more...

I'll be offset so I can put images in this corner.

The Assad regime.

And before I made this video, I deliberately wanted to kind of take the intention to slowly try my best to understand the complicated situation because, I mean, for one, obviously, I'm not Syrian.

I don't have any direct connections to Syria.

I admit I don't follow everything that happens in Syria.

Prior to this, I kind of had like an outer, cross-basic understanding of the Assad regime and its father, blah, blah, blah.

But I didn't really know all the small little details that led up to this point.

So I deliberately made a post on all of my social medias asking you guys, my Syrian geograpeeps, to help me.

I wanted to hear from you guys.

I wanted you to kind of give me your input on what you thought was appropriate to say.

And I got a lot of responses.

I got a lot of Syrian subscribers.

And even some of my subscribers were actually in Syria, experiencing it as it was going on.

I read your messages and they were very helpful to helping me understand this.

So for the sake of brevity, I'm just going to try to condense this as quick as possible because I know you guys want me to get to the point.

I want to get to the point, okay?

Essentially, the Assad regime has been toppled.

But before we even get into all that, I have to kind of give you guys a little bit of backstory on how everything even kind of led up to this.

So you have to understand, Syria has gone through a lot in the past two decades, let alone five decades of dictatorship.

So Bashar al-Assad is the son of his father.

Duh.

Oh my god, I can't believe I...

So before Bashar al-Assad, his father, Hafez, was in charge.

And it all started in 1970.

Long story short, during this time, the Assad regime power vacuum became super evident.

The most heinous and notorious incident being the Hama massacre in the 80s.

Basically, in Hama, people were protesting and they were trying to oppose him.

He sent in troops, surrounded the city, and absolutely struck down tens of thousands of his own civilians.

It was done as a means to send a message to not defy him.

After he passed away in 2000, just like any other absolutely legit democratic state, what do you think happened?

They held an election.

And oh by golly gosh, his son was on the ballot.

And before he even ran for presidency, there was actually a law that said you had to be at least 40 years old to be president, but they changed the law just at the right time to 34.

And oh, how convenient, he was 34 at the time.

I mean, that checks out in my book, nothing suspicious.

So while all of this is happening, factions of rebel groups start to brew up.

And there are three main key players you gotta know in this equation.

The SNA, or the Syrian National Army.

They controlled the northern areas bordering Turkey.

This group was mostly supported by Turkey, as Erdogan announced in 2011 that he was completely against the Assad regime.

The SDF, or Syrian Democratic Forces.

This is a militant group that is primarily made up of Kurdish peoples.

These people operated mostly in the northeastern part of Syria that also bordered Turkey.

The Kurdish faction was aligned with many western and middle eastern powers like Saudi Arabia, the UAE, USA, UK.

And Turkey didn't really like them as much, partially because a lot of the militants in the SDF had ties to the PKK.

And if you know anything about Turkey, the PKK is a whole other complicated story of controversy.

But anyway, mostly Kurdish militants.

And finally, the HTS, or the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, led by Abu Muhammad al-Jolani.

Sorry if I butchered any of that.

So the HTS wasn't directly allied with any nation state completely.

Most of their allies were other regional militant groups, such as the Turkestan Islamic Party, the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood, the Army of Glory, and they also worked with the SNA sometimes as well.

This is probably the most important one, because this is the military faction that actually led the downfall of Assad's regime.

So in December of 2024, the HTS marched into Damascus, who essentially ousted Assad, who fled and is now in exile in Russia, as his government party was supported by Russia and Iran.

And it was a very covert operation.

It happened in like only 11 days, and it even shocked like most of the Syrian people.

Like they didn't even see it coming.

They're like, okay.

While all the Assad attacks were going on, many of the HTS rebels were forming in the city of Idlib, which geographically wasn't even too far off from the centralized government along the coastal areas.

Who or what are these people?

What do they stand by?

So this is where the story gets a little complicated.

So here's the issue.

Jolani is a sort of, he's sort of considered like a conflicted figure amongst many people, even amongst Syrians as well.

Why?

Because although yes, he did lead the movement that eventually deposed Assad, that pretty much everybody hated, except for the Alawite community that mostly allied with him, and that's a whole other story.

Regardless, he was known for having some extremist views and ties to Al-Qaeda in the past.

Essentially, he started off as a soldier that fought against the U.S. in Iraq.

He was even detained in the famous Abu Ghraib prison.

And later after he was released back into Syria, he, under the direction of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in Al-Qaeda, was directed to create the Nusra Front.

The thing is, when he was in charge of the Nusra Front, he became very popular, and he started to realize that he really disagreed with a lot of things that al-Baghdadi was saying in Al-Qaeda.

And in 2016, he announced that the Nusra Front was splitting off from Al-Qaeda.

He says that today, despite the connections that he had to Al-Qaeda, during his time, he was not actually personally involved in any terror activity.

And many might say that him splitting off from Al-Qaeda and rebranding into the HTS, as well as occasionally working with other forces like the U.S. to fight against ISIS, that might be, in the very least, be considered evidence that he wasn't happy with the way how things were before when he was under his extremist views.

He has since claimed that he has denounced his extremist ways in the past, and preaches a pluralistic and tolerant motive towards the future of Syria.

In response to a question about his political-military evolution, he is quoted for saying, I believe everyone in life goes through phases, and experiences a person in their 20s will have a different personality than someone in their 30s or 40s, and certainly someone in their 50s.

He's even changed his wardrobe, like back in the old days, he was like full-on Al-Qaeda style, now he's like cut his hair and has a whole new get-up, I don't know.

He claims these things, but the real question is, what degree of power and influence is he, let alone the HTS, going to have in the future of Syria, let alone the international community, once they kind of figure and establish things out.

The HTS officials have actually put out a statement, We welcome the international community's support, but we do not need them to manufacture a process that we are already implementing.

We refuse to step into the traps of the past.

So when I read the emails and messages from my Syrian subscribers, it kind of seems to me the consensus is generally that they are happy and celebrating that the Assad regime is over, however, Syrians are not stupid, they know how this game usually plays out across the world, they've seen it in the past, they know that in situations like this, there are many different avenues that can be taken in terms of leadership, and action, and policy, and they have to be very careful that they figure out the right path, and they kind of have to do it fast, because in these types of situations, if you can't figure something out in an elongated period of time, it kind of looks like you don't know how to figure out things in a long period of time.

So there has to be a transition, but it has to be smooth, and relatively ready to engage in the international community in a positive manner.

They kind of have to figure things out and publicly announce where they stand and what their values are.

Why?

Because when a new kid comes on the scene, the whole world is watching, and they want to know, what are you and who are you?

This is the complicated predicament that Syria is finding themselves in, and they don't fully know yet, they're trying to figure it out.

They have ideas, but it'll take some time.

Everybody knows the situation is very fragile, and they have to take very careful steps to make sure that everything transitions smoothly.

For what it's worth, they are basically going to change their flag to the three-star green tri-band.

It was basically the flag that they used in the first republic, and it symbolizes all of the Arab caliphates in the area.

You know, I'm going to be a little honest, I always kind of thought their old flag was kind of stupid, because it was basically the flag that they used under that failed Arab republic with Egypt, and it fizzled out and broke apart, but they still kept the flag, even though Egypt isn't part of their country anymore.

It's like they were just lazy, and they're like, yeah, we'll just keep it.

Since the toppling of the regime, prisoners from the notorious Sadnaya prison have been released and freed, basically political prisoners that the Assad regime put in prison for opposing him.

Many of them are being reunited with their families.

There have been talks, and it's possible that we could see a potential repatriation of Syrian refugees back to the motherland to rebuild it and to reunite with their family members that were trapped in the circumstances that wouldn't allow them to leave.

It's a very sort of in limbo moment right now, but generally people are trying to be positive.

The ousting of the Assad regime really opens up more doors for them to figure things out and move forward in a positive manner.

At the same time, they are careful and cautious and keeping an eye on figures that are assuming roles of influence right now.

But for what it's worth, they're trying their best.

And I really hope this is going to be a positive chapter for the future of Syria.

I actually really wanted to go to Syria for the Syria episode, but obviously during that time the circumstances wouldn't allow me to.

And yeah, I really hope if things get kind of smooth and figured out, I would absolutely love to go there.

And I'd actually really like to meet you guys, the Syrian Geograpeeps, and hear your stories while in Syria, while checking out your country.

Let's try to make it happen.

I'd love to see your country, Syria.

To all my Syrian subscribers out there in Syria, I really hope you're doing okay and I hope you're figuring things out.

And I really hope that you become the beacon of hope for your country.

I know you love your country.

And to all the Syrians abroad that are trying to also play their role in the future of Syria, I hope you guys are also a very pivotal force that makes this country move forward in a positive manner.

And I really hope I can be privileged enough to actually be one of those people that goes there and sees it.

In any case, cheers.

Hope you guys are all doing good.

And stay cool, stay tuned.