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The Government of "Shara": Between Family Ties, Veiled Influence, and the Corridors of the Past
Yesterday, my friend, prominent journalist Salam Musafir, published an information-rich article on his Facebook page, in which he addressed the figure of Dr. Maher al-Shara, the brother of the new Syrian president, Ahmed al-Shara, who was recently appointed Secretary-General of the Presidency. Amid our reading of this remarkable article, a complex web of relationships, interests, and precedents unfold, deserving of careful scrutiny to understand the fate of the new rule in Damascus and its capacity for endurance.
Family and the Russian Axis at the Core of Power
Salam Musafir points out a pivotal point: Dr. Maher al-Shara is not just the president’s brother; he is also culturally and socially a son-in-law of Russia, married to a Russian woman and a former resident of the city of Voronezh, one of the classical education centers in southern Russia. This coincidence holds a personal touch for the writer of these lines, as it is where my journey with the Russian language began in 1977 before moving to Moscow University. It is a city that not only welcomes foreigners much better than large Russian cities like Moscow and St. Petersburg but integrates them and envelopes them in its warmth.
Hence, Dr. Maher al-Shara's proficiency in the Russian language and his knowledge of Russian society, as well as his collaboration with his Russian wife in Syria and previously in Russia, grants him a unique ability to act as an intermediary between Moscow and Damascus during a delicate phase of geopolitical balances. Russia, which is still seeking a firm foothold in the eastern Mediterranean, would not hesitate to leverage such a cultural familial link to secure its interests through the new Syrian regime. Thus, his appointment to this sensitive position may not be mere coincidence but a carefully calculated move in the power game.
The Past Does Not Sleep – From Iraq to Al-Qaeda to Governance!
What Musafir presents about Ahmed al-Shara himself raises many questions about the reality of his "soft coup." According to the article, the man was neither an ordinary opponent nor exiled far from active involvement; rather, he played a role in one of the most dangerous files of the century: the Iraq War, leading a branch of Al-Qaeda, and later establishing Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham. This trajectory, where extremism intersects with pragmatism, casts dark shadows on the true intentions of his current rule and questions the seriousness of his commitment to establishing the rule of law or transitional justice, let alone democracy.
His success in entering Damascus without battles is attributed not only to the weakness of the former regime but also to the extent of collusion among old and new networks, and perhaps even to unannounced international arrangements. From this perspective, the al-Shara family appears to have been part of the game rather than its victims.
Bitter Irony: From an Ophthalmologist to an Obstetrician
The title chosen by Musafir for his article – "Syria Lost a Blind Eye Doctor, Will It Gain a Gynecologist?" – carries a satirical flavor, but it is also a veiled cry. From Hafez al-Assad, the pilot, to Bashar, the ophthalmologist, and now Ahmed al-Shara, coming from global jihad, and his brother from the world of obstetrics... Syria is undergoing an experience of varying "specializations" in governance, yet the outcome remains the same: the collapse of institutions, a lack of trust, and exacerbated questions about who rules and with what.
Will the Shara Government Endure?
Based on these data, it can be said that Ahmed al-Shara's government is merely another link in a long series of changing faces while maintaining the same methods: utilizing secret alliances with external actors, employing familial connections, and playing both the security and religious cards simultaneously. Yes, this government may have opportunities for survival, but not due to its legitimacy or efficiency, but rather because of its ability to adapt and bend to the storms—just as its leaders have done in the recent past.
However, true legitimacy is not created in darkness, but in daylight, before the eyes of the people, with institutions, not personalities, and with programs, not slogans. Until further notice, the Shara government remains under scrutiny—and history is unforgiving.
Dr. Ridwan Badini
