Syria’s Minorities After Assad: Alawites, Druze, and the New Map

With Assad in Moscow and HTS’s Ahmed al-Sharaa consolidating power, Syria’s minorities face an uncertain future. This episode unpacks the precarious position of the Alawites — a community of 1.5 to 2 million whose entire economic and social structure was tied to the fallen regime. We explore the revenge killings in Latakia and Tartus, the internal displacement toward the coast, and the haunting historical echo of a potential Alawite canton. Then we turn to the Druze in Sweida, their careful neutrality, and their unprecedented border breach into the Golan. Finally, we examine Israel’s strategic occupation of Mount Hermon and what it means for Syria’s territorial integrity. A grounded look at the uncomfortable questions the headlines are avoiding.