US envoy to Syria says decentralization does not work in Middle East

Rudaw

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The United States' special envoy to Syria on Saturday rejected the proposal of decentralization in Syria where minority groups are demanding greater inclusion in the government.

"Decentralization has never really worked anywhere in this region," Tom Barrack told reporters on the sidelines of the Doha Forum.

"If you look at what happened in the Balkans, we divided it into seven separate countries and it's a mess. If you look at what happened in Iraq, we got frustrated after three trillion dollars and a few hundred thousand lives, and you have decentralization, which is now a big issue. If you look at the confessional system in Lebanon, it hasn't worked. If you look at Libya, we did the same thing,” he said.

"So, I don't know the answer to the question as to what the right form of government is, but it needs to be decided by the regions, and the people, and the tribes, and the cultures. It just does,” he added.

The interim government in Syria, led by former jihadist leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, came to power with a pledge of inclusivity but has come under fire from Christians, Druze, Kurds, and Alawites who say they have been sidelined. Minority communities have criticized the transitional constitution that centers on Islamic jurisprudence and the centralization of power in Damascus.

"So when you look at how do you have Kurds, Druze, Alawites, five different varieties of Islam, six different varieties of Christianity live side by side, they can do it," Barrack said. "They have to decide how they want to be.”

Syria’s post-civil war transition has been marred by violence. Deadly clashes broke out in mid-July between Druze fighters and Sunni Bedouin tribes in southern Suwayda province. The conflict escalated with the involvement of Syrian government forces before a ceasefire was announced on July 19.

The death toll neared 2,000, including around 765 Druze civilians who were “executed in the field by defense and interior ministry forces,” according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Earlier, in March, violence broke out in Alawite-majority coastal regions after Assad loyalists attacked security forces aligned with the country’s interim leadership. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the clashes resulted in 1,700 deaths, most of them Alawite civilians. Many casualties were attributed to government or pro-government forces.

Barrack said that Washington will continue to throw its support behind the new Damascus authorities.

"I think President al-Sharaa is doing a good job," he said. "America has only said we're going to lift sanctions. We want them to be successful. We need them to be successful. We're trying to support the entire region, everybody to be successful, but it's up to them."