Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa described the situation as a “historic opportunity” for a new national beginning as hundreds of Syrians attended a historic dialogue summit in Damascus. The conference, which took place at the presidential palace, aimed to lay out a plan for the country’s future after the fall of President Bashar al-Assad.
Participants were set into six working groups to look into critical topics, including transitional justice, constitutional reforms, building of state institutions, personal freedoms, economic construction, and the role of civil society. While the language was greeted with proud triumph, concerns persist over the inclusion of the process.
Skeptics claim that the talks, largely managed by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), may exist more as a puff-of-tobacco effort or a sincere passage to democracy. The absence of Kurdish representatives and other minority groups like Alawites and Druze have raised the brow of both local and international commentators. 
“Although this conversation represents a big change [but] real inclusivity is still a matter of question,” said Hanin Ahmad, a rights activist from Homs.
Despite worries, attendees were cautiously hopeful. “We are seeing something that is historic,” businessman Adnan Tarabishy. “For the first time in decades, Syrians are building their own future.”
As a transitional government is about to take power March 1, the world waits intently to see if Syria’s new leadership will follow through with promises of inclusive politics or if hope and skepticism will melt into disillusionment.
