One year after al-Assad’s fall, is a new Syria emerging?
The Take
Al Jazeera
4.7 • 748 Ratings
🗓️ 8 December 2025
⏱️ 23 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
One year after Bashar al-Assad’s fall, Syrians are returning home and trying to rebuild their lives. But questions over transitional justice and minority protections are testing whether this new Syria can become more than just another chapter of survival.
In this episode:
- Leila Nachawati (@leila_na), writer and professor
Episode credits:
This episode was produced by Marcos Bartolomé, Noor Wazwaz, Melanie Marich, and Haleema Shah, with Phillip Lanos, Spencer Cline, Diana Ferrero, Farhan Rafid, Fatima Shafiq Tamara Khandaker, and our host, Malika Bilal. It was edited by Kylene Kiang.
The Take production team is Marcos Bartolomé, Sonia Bhagat, Spencer Cline, Sarí el-Khalili, Diana Ferrero, Tracie Hunte, Tamara Khandaker, Kylene Kiang, Phillip Lanos, Chloe K. Li, Melanie Marich, Catherine Nouhan, Haleema Shah, and Noor Wazwaz. Our editorial interns are Farhan Rafid, and Kisaa Zehra. Our host is Malika Bilal.
Our engagement producers are Adam Abou-Gad and Vienna Maglio. Andrew Greiner is lead of audience engagement.
Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. This episode was mixed by Rick Rush. Our video editors are Hisham Abu Salah and Mohannad al-Melhem. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Al Jazeera Podcasts. |
| 0:09.7 | Today, a year after the fall of Bashar al-Assad. |
| 0:16.2 | The year ago, Syria's then-President Bashar al-Assad fled to Russia after rebel forces seized control of the capital, Damascus. |
| 0:24.7 | And this marked the end of a brutal dictatorship that had oppressed Syrians for years. |
| 0:29.8 | A new Syria is taking shape. |
| 0:31.9 | But what challenges remain for its people? |
| 0:36.5 | I'm Malika Bilal, and this is The Take. |
| 0:43.6 | Hi, everyone. |
| 0:44.9 | Our conversation today on Syria is a reflective and at times poetic one. |
| 0:49.9 | So as you're watching, leave us a comment letting us know what this episode evokes for you. |
| 0:55.0 | And if you're listening, leave us a review on your podcast app and let us know where you're listening from. |
| 1:00.4 | We love hearing from you. |
| 1:05.1 | I'm Lelyana Shawati, professor of communications at the Department of Communications of Carlos Tertzeri University. |
| 1:13.4 | I'm a specialist in communication and conflict. |
| 1:16.3 | And I am the author of a novel entitled When the Revolution is Over, When a Revolution |
| 1:22.2 | Termini. |
| 1:24.1 | Leila, welcome to the take. |
| 1:27.2 | You know that Syrians are marking one year since the fall of Bashar al-Assad. |
| 1:43.9 | And many people are using the occasion to finally go home. |
| 1:50.0 | I'm happy. It's an indescribable feeling. |
| 1:53.0 | I'm happy to be seeing my family. My siblings grew up. |
| 1:56.4 | Some to resettle. Some just to see it with their own eyes again. |
... |
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