The End of the Alawite Political Era at the Hands of Asma Al-Akhras

The lawyer Samer Rajab, son of the well-known lawyer Tawfiq Rajab, was arrested from his home in Latakia after posting on Facebook. In his post, he insulted Bashar and his wife, and the heads of the security services, describing them as servants to Asma and working under her command. The streets leading to his house on the old Corniche near the Jandoul Hotel were cut off, with a heavy presence of military security, leading to his arrest and the closure of his Facebook page.

Samer is married to Samah Jamal Al-Assad, a descendant of Ibrahim Al-Assad, the older half-brother of Hafez Al-Assad. Samer is also a businessman and owns several fuel stations in Latakia.

Since 2009, there have been several projects for decrees aiming to transform the Presidential Office into a General Secretariat. However, they were not approved, like other administrations, due to the opposition of senior Alawite leaders, notably the former director of the Presidential Office, Mohamed Deeb Dabboul, nicknamed Abu Salim, as well as the refusal of officers from the Presidential Palace to such a decision, as it would undermine their powers and disable them.

The (murder) of Mohamed Deeb Dabboul in 2022 with his agreement (by injection) after being honored, and the decline in influence of many old officers in the Republican Guard over the past ten years in a slow and deliberate manner, in contrast to the increasing influence of Presidential Security officers, especially those close to Russia, has increased the role and presence of Asma Al-Akhras, Bashar Al-Assad’s wife, who has become the most important decision-maker in recent years, especially economically. She secretly manages most sectors of finance, investment, aid revenues, and oversees networks for evading sanctions.

Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad issued Legislative Decree No. 38 of 2023 on December 13, establishing the General Secretariat of the Presidency and abolishing the Ministry of Presidential Affairs, officially marking the transition to a new era led by Asma Al-Akhras. Thus, administrations transformed from offices and secretariats to (the General Administrative Secretariat system), which has been an administrative approach followed by the Syrian administrative system since 2003 due to its advantages in gradually controlling the administrative process. This began with the transformation of the Prime Minister’s Office and its secretariat into the General Secretariat of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers by Law No. 23 of 2003, as well as the transformation of university presidencies and governorates into the General Administrative Secretariat system.

This decision will allow Asma Al-Akhras more intervention in the offices of the Presidential Palace, through defining its policies; through the new secretariat, which will allow her to intervene in the tasks and competencies of the abolished Ministry of Presidential Affairs and will transfer the competencies of the President’s Office and the Presidential Court to her. She will oversee advisors and other open authority, turning party leaders into just a facade to implement the plans drawn up by Asma Al-Akhras through the General Secretariat of the Presidency.

This phase can be considered a pivotal moment in Syria’s history, characterized by clipping the nails of political Alawism, which has previously oppressed the Alawite people more than others by impoverishing them and thrusting them into the furnace of sectarian conflict with other components of the Syrian population. This will allow Syria to transition to a new stage, moving away from the minority coalition under Russian patronage, thus becoming one of the Russian pathways to the Syrian solution it aspires to. However, the question remains: will the Alawite leaders accept defeat against Asma Al-Akhras? Or will they attempt to seek Iranian patronage through the Fourth Division, which would mean erasing the Alawite political identity in favor of Iran?
This is something we will explore soon.

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