Egypt Daily News – U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned on Tuesday that Syria may be only weeks away from plunging into a full-blown civil war, following recent meetings with leaders of the country’s transitional authority, according to AFP.
Speaking at a Senate hearing, Rubio stated: “Our assessment is that the transitional authority—frankly, in light of the challenges it faces—may be just weeks, not months, away from a potential collapse and a full-scale civil war with devastating consequences that could effectively lead to the fragmentation of the country.”
He added, “The bad news is that some figures within the transitional authority did not pass FBI-style background checks and have complex histories—we acknowledge that. But on the other hand, if we engage with them, the process might succeed or fail. If we don’t engage at all, the outcome is certain: it will fail.”
Rubio reiterated, “Our current assessment is that the transitional authority, given the obstacles it faces, may be just weeks away from falling apart, triggering a comprehensive civil war and actual disintegration of the state.”
On a more hopeful note, he said: “The positive aspect is that there still exists a Syrian national identity. Syria was among the few countries in the Middle East where Alawites, Druze, Christians, Sunnis, Shiites, and Kurds coexisted under a shared national identity—until Bashar al-Assad destroyed that unity by deliberately pitting communities against one another.”
He continued, “The transitional authority is facing several key challenges. First and foremost is the deep internal mistrust, which stems from Assad’s deliberate policy of societal division. He claimed to protect Alawites and Christians while stirring them against Druze or other groups depending on his interests, creating long-standing divisions and animosity.”
Rubio also highlighted the displacement crisis:
“Another major challenge is displacement. There are between 6 to 8 million Syrians living abroad, many of whom are highly successful in their host countries. But we must empower the transitional authority to create conditions that enable their return, so they can contribute to rebuilding the economy.”
