The collapse of Assad’s regime in Syria isn’t just another international headline. For those living in societies that depend, directly or indirectly, on imperial or colonial arrangements, it’s a reminder that entrenched power is not invulnerable. When we see officials dragged from their offices and once-untouchable authorities fleeing, we recognize that if carefully maintained hierarchies can crumble there, they might crumble anywhere. This recognition often stirs a nervous unease among so-called allies - people who claim to support liberation but prefer it safely limited to symbolic or distant acts rather than meaningful transformations.
The shifting lens of Western media plays a key role in nurturing this unease. Early reporting on uprisings frequently frames them as heroic struggles for justice, human rights, and democracy. But as soon as the movements start to redistribute power in disruptive ways, dismantling oppressive structures and redrawing the boundaries of political and economic control, these same outlets often change their tune.
