Colonial heritage in Syria today: social fractures and political implications

Abstract

This article analyzes the political, economic and social imprint left by the period of French occupation on present-day Syria. France, following a policy of divide et impera, separated the Arab country into different confessional states, which exacerbated the sectarianism of the region and at the same time favoured the rise of Arab nationalism. In fact, the primary objective of the Baath Party was to tear down the artificial borders created by the Sykes-Picot Agreements of 1916 and achieve the unity of the Arab peoples. The coming to power of Hafez al Assad in 1970 is, in turn, closely related to the overrepresent a- tion of confessional minorities in the Troupes Spéciales du Levant constituted by France. Just as the colonial power had done, al Assad presented himself as an arbitrator who would ensure balance between the heterogeneous elements of Syrian society and prevent the majority Sunni community from occupying a hegemonic position.