Syria Is the Key to Containing the Next Wave of Fascism

Sometimes you have to turn lemons into lemonade

The rise of fascism in the 21st century didn’t begin in Ukraine in 2022. It started when Russian fighter jets began their bombing run in Syria. That moment marked the beginning of a new, slow-moving tide — one that would gradually reshape the global balance, destabilize regions, and set the stage for the far-right’s rise across Europe.

Marine Le Pen and Alice Weidel wouldn’t be sitting on solid double-digit support today if not for the immigration crisis that followed. France and Germany might have remained a limited club of far-right flirtation, contained within their national fringes. But the wars — Syria foremost among them — forced hundreds of thousands to flee their homes and pour into Europe, searching for safety. That human flood became the accelerant that helped far-right politics burn its way into the European mainstream.

Syria, and Russia’s long, calculated influence in the region, lie at the root of Europe’s immigration crisis. And until Syria finds real safety — until the Iran-Russia grip on the region is broken — it will never breathe free. Both Moscow and Tehran are currently reeling under economic and military strain, their ability to act in Syria constrained. But make no mistake: once they find their…