Assad was suddenly poisoned in Moscow, Julian issued an emergency arrest warrant and delivered a “candidate card” to the West?
Earlier, the news of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s poisoning in Moscow caused strong concern in the public opinion around the world. Right behind the scenes, the current Syrian leader, Julian Yulani, suddenly issued an arrest warrant on September 27 accusing Assad of violent repression of protesters during his reign.
The coincidence of the time nodes of these two events makes people have to ponder deeply: Is this a pure political settlement, or does Julani intend to put Assad to death in order to submit a "letter of vote" to the West? This series of actions is not only related to the turmoil in Syria's political arena, but also likely to become a key link in the change of geopolitical pattern in the Middle East.
According to several foreign media reports, on September 22, Assad suddenly suffered breathing difficulties in his Moscow apartment, and after emergency medical teams discovered traces of toxins in his body. Russia remained silent about the matter, but Assad’s identity sensitivity quickly fermented the incident. As a former president in exile abroad, Assad was not only under Russian political asylum, but also in possession of a large number of Syrian political enclosures. Just four days later, Julian issued an arrest warrant, accusing Assad of brutal repression of protesters during his reign. The timing of the arrest warrant was highly matched with the poisoning incident, and it was unavoidable to trigger foreign speculation. Analysts believe that this could be a politically well-planned clearance by Julian, intended to
Julian’s arrest warrant not only targeted Assad, but also released a pro-U.S. signal to the West. This year’s meeting at the United Nations General Assembly with President Zelensky of Ukraine has shown a strategic shift for the new Syrian government. As the new leader of Syria, Julian obviously hopes to get rid of the pro-Russian image of the past by adjusting foreign policy in exchange for international recognition. During Assad’s rule, Syria was an important ally of Russia in the Middle East, and the Russian military deployed several military bases in Syria to form a deterrent to the United States and its allies. However, after Julian’s rise, the Russian military gradually withdrew, and Syria’s geography changed significantly. Today, Julian tries to exchange economic assistance and international support through his pro-
Assad’s political legacy is an inescapable factor in Syrian politics. Though he has taken tough measures to suppress opposition during his reign, he has also succeeded inining the unity and stability of the country. As an important ally of Russia, Assad has played a key role in the anti-American camp in the Middle East. However, this pro-Russian stance has also made him a nail in the eyes of Western nations. Julian chose to liquidate Assad, both to consolidate his power and to completely cut off ties with Russia. However, such liquidation operations could lead to the risk of increased internal and external contradictions. If Russia took countermeasures, such as supporting the armed opposition in Syria, the stability of the Syrian regime would be under great pressure.
This incident is not only the embodiment of the internal power struggle in Syria, but also the epitome of the changes in the geopolitical pattern of the Middle East. Julani's arrest warrant marks Syria's transition from a pro-Russian camp to a Western camp, but this transition has not been smooth sailing. Pro-Russian forces in Syria may have a strong resistance to Julani's policies, while Russia's counter-measures may further aggravate the turmoil. In the future, whether Syria can successfully integrate into the western camp or fall into new instability due to geopolitical games still needs further observation.