ROAD TO DAMASCUS WAS ALWAYS PAVED WITH BITTER IRONY

The coming years will reveal whether the Syrian people can resist the forces of disintegration and reclaim the nation. Can they unify despite the pulls of Big Power politics?

- WAIEL AWWAD

powers, where the interests of smaller nations find no room in the grand chessboard of geopolitics. Terrorism—once condemned universally—seems to have found a revival as a covert instrument to serve political ends.

This is not coincidental. It stems from a calculated effort to destabilize regions, weaken adversaries, and maintain influence in contested areas. The cost is borne by the innocent, with nations caught in the crossfire struggling to secure their sovereignty in an increasingly volatile world.

As this trend gains momentum, it raises critical questions about accountability, morality, and the long-term consequences of weaponizing terror. Who truly benefits from this game of destruction?

The rise of jihadist culture in Afghanistan was no accident; it was a deliberate construct born out of geopolitical maneuvering during the Cold War. In the late 1970s and 1980s, this ideology was fostered to resist the Soviet invasion.

The nurturing of jihadist factions created a fertile ground for the spread of fundamentalism. This move, aimed at toppling the USSR, had unintended long-term consequences. The extremist groups that emerged did not dissolve with the Soviet withdrawal.

The ideological and logistical support provided during that era laid the foundation for movements that would later fuel global terrorism.

The dismantling of Al Qaeda's core leadership led to the death of many of its operatives, while others managed to escape and establish new extremist networks in their homelands. The US invasion of Iraq in 2003 provided fertile ground for them to regroup and rally supporters under the guise of resisting occupation.

Syria played a critical role as a training hub for fighters destined to battle US forces in Iraq. The porous borders allowed the free flow of Salafists, Takfiris, and other extremist elements who used the region to prepare for their operations.