Page 18 - Issue 68

ELITE
ELITE
Why Regimes Fail?
Abdelrahman Sakr- Economics- Third Level
After 13 years of war in Syria, marked by
bloodshed and displacement, Syria was
liberated from the tyranny of Bashar al-
Assad, the criminal, on December 8, 2024.
Undoubtedly, the fall of Bashar represents
a victory for justice and a manifestation of
divine fairness. However, there is no
denying that the potential division of Syria
could bring further instability to the
region, serving Israel's interests by
isolating Hezbollah through severing
supply lines from the Syrian borders. This
could pave the way for greater expansion
into Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon. As a result,
a mix of emotions dominates the scene: a
release of anger against tyranny, hope for
change, fear of division, and anticipation
of what lies ahead. These events have
reignited debates about who is responsible
for the destruction and devastation, the
Western and Turkish support received by
various factions, and whether these
factions are merely a group of treacherous
mercenaries. It has also revived the
dilemma of choosing between al-Qaeda or
Bashar, chaos as a path to potential justice
VOL 1, ISSUE 68
or submission to oppression to preserve
stability and a minimum standard of rights.
In their renowned book "Why Nations
Fail", Daron Acemoglu and James
Robinson explore how economic and
political institutions shape economic
prosperity, poverty, and power dynamics.
One of the key points in the book revolves
around the causes of political conflict and
the determinants of its forms. They argue
that one of the primary drivers of conflict
is that authoritarian rulers will not create
just institutions of their own volition. This
compels various groups within society to
engage in conflict with these rulers to force
the adoption of more inclusive institutions.
This conflict may take peaceful forms, such
as struggles to change institutions through
nonviolent means like strikes, peaceful
protests, and electoral competition.
Conversely, conflict can also take the form
of violent, zero-sum clashes in which
neither side is willing to coexist with the
other, ending only when one party is
entirely eliminated. The choice of conflict