No,no...Sinan it's a bit more complicated. Look,in all seriousness,we all know there were problems with the Syrian government for decades. Everybody knows that.
And I've said it many times,it wasn't the best democracy or even a democracy,but it was a nice country that had far more freedom than let's say Saddam's Iraq or Revolutionary Iran.
It was a country were all faiths were protected. It was a safe haven for the christians of the Sham,the Alawites,the Shia,the Druze.
There were big problems with suppressing ethnic groups,not recognizing their language or giving them some autonomy. For example the Kurds,the Turkmens,the Cretan Muslims etc.
The regime was strict,the propaganda was the same in the 21st century as it was in the '90s and there was no imagination and no solutions for the economy.
But I think the biggest problem of Syria was the government's stubborn refusals and unbending nature to various issues. Even when the country was in danger,the government wouldn't negotiate with the Kurds for a federated solution.
They wouldn't negotiate for years with the Israelis. Some might say that's a good thing because it shows integrity. Maybe it is,maybe it's not. I don't know.
They wouldn't let go of Russia and Iran. Some might say that is good too.
But the outcome is: Syria has been completely destroyed and up for grabs.