Fifteen years ago in Sidi Bouzid, Mohamed Bouazizi, a 26 year old street vendor, committed self‑immolation as a form of protest against the pervasive police corruption in Tunisia. His act sparked massive protests across the country, eventually leading to the resignation of President Ben Ali, who had ruled for 23 years. These protests inspired people throughout the region. In Egypt, Bahrain, Libya, Yemen, and Syria, citizens began to develop a new political consciousness. They started to believe in their own political power again, a shift amplified by the impact of social media.
On platforms such as Facebook, activists coordinated marches, set up meeting points, and warned each other of police movements. Images and videos of the demonstrations spread like wildfire, garnering worldwide sympathy that the governments of the time could not contain. This awakening threatened imperialist powers, which quickly moved to contaminate the revolutions with reactionary forces that would preserve existing structures and keep the same systems that exploited working class Arabs and minorities intact.
In Egypt, the people toppled Mubarak, only to face the return of military rule. In Bahrain, the uprising was silenced through Western complicity. Thus, while this period revived political engagement, it also demonstrated how external imperialist actors can drown out revolutionary voices, insert reactionary elements, and exploit popular movements to safeguard, or even advance, their own interests.
The revolutions showed the courage of millions and highlighted the necessity of building alternative structures that oppose imperialist powers. A genuine revolution must incorporate key structural shifts, not merely the removal of a tyrant.
Syria as a Case Study
During the Arab Spring, motivated by the Tunisian and Egyptian uprisings, millions of Syrians took to the streets demanding that Assad fall. As the Syrian uprising fragmented under reactionary forces, power vacuums emerged in Kurdish majority cities. The revolutionary Kurdish forces seized this opportunity to create one of the era’s most notable achievements: the Rojava Revolution.
When the broader Syrian uprising splintered, the people of northern and eastern Syria, including Kurds, Arabs, Syriacs, Armenians, and others, chose a different path. They built communes, councils, and a system of self‑administration rooted in women’s freedom, ecology, and grassroots democracy. Recognizing that autonomous, people controlled structures were essential to prevent the resurgence of old oppression, they created a project that embraces Syria’s rich ethnic and religious heritage. The initiative in north‑east Syria thus represents a structural and moral shift away from the imperialist and colonial politics that have long dominated the Middle East.
Contemporary Context
Today, Syria remains a crucial focal point for revolutionary forces. Although the narrative that “Assad has fallen” circulates, the reality is that the current Damascus government, led by President Bashar al‑Assad and his inner circle, differs markedly from the revolutionary spirit that ignited the original protests. The regime seeks legitimacy from Western powers while committing atrocities against Druze, Alawite, and other minority populations.
Defending the revolution in north‑east Syria is therefore vital. The gains in women’s liberation and the unity among the region’s diverse peoples were achieved through revolutionary politics that returned power to the populace. Only a Syria that truly reflects its rich ethnic and religious mosaic, where all citizens are free from systemic violence, can be called free.
