From March 15, 2011 to the COVID-19 lockdown, the pro-democracy movements of the First Arab Spring swept through Assad-led Syria violently, causing a long, excruciating fight. The conflict was in a stalemate for a couple years until, on November 27, 2024, the rebel group of Hay’at Tahiri al-Sham (HTS) led by Abu Mohammad Al-Jolani in the northwestern province of Aleppo conducted a large-scale surprise attack on the Assad Regime. On November 29, HTS reached the city of Aleppo, and on December 8, joined other rebel groups to seize the capital, Damascus. This marked the end of the Syrian Civil War and the Second Arab Spring. Assad fled to Moscow, where he remains today.
According to the New York Times, as many as 640,000 may have been killed as a result of the conflict in Syria since 2011. Moreover, according to the United Nations High Committee of Refugees (UNHCR), more than 14 million people have fled Syria in the same timeline. Some of these refugees and their relatives live in Ithaca today.
Local Denice Karamardian, author of the trilogy Odar, told The Tattler about her family in Syria, her experiences, and her perspective on the conflict. Below are excerpts from an interview with her.
Miles Hall ’27: Do you think Syrians will trust the new government enough to re-immigrate back into the country?
Denice Karamardian: This is not the first time stuff like this has happened, in the world and in Syria. Historically many people don’t go back. And this new government Syrians probably don’t trust yet. Of the people I know in Ithaca, most of them would want to stay.
MH: Abu Mohammad Al-Jolani led the rebel group of HTS. Before COVID he was known for being quite radical in his ideas. Since then he has denounced his old ways. Do you believe he is being truthful?
DK: You can quote me on this: Whenever a religious based government forms, it will evolve into persecution of other religions and ethnicities. The Taliban did the same thing where they said they would be more inclusive, and they basically did the exact opposite. I just hope he’s being truthful.
MH: Do you think Ithaca is a good place for immigrants and refugees?
DK: I did, but if Trump can achieve what he’s saying, then globally, no. But right now, absolutely. Back then, most immigrants would be immediately put into the Cayuga Salt mine, that’s just how it worked. Terrible working conditions, separated from family, etc. So it’s definitely a lot better than half a century ago.
MH: Your trilogy, Odar, talks about your journey, thinking you were Syrian, before finding out you were mostly Armenian. What was that like? Do you think others are going through similar experiences in Syria right now?
DK: Oh yes, definitely. I didn’t know my ethnicity until randomly playing poker one night when I was twelve, and it was because we were the only Armenians at the time, so we hung around Syrian immigrants more so. I knew we immigrated from Syria so I thought we were Syrian.
MH: Do you think that humans are generally accepting of immigrants?
DK: I used to say definitely yes, but in this election cycle immigration has been extorted to be a negative thing, I would say less so yes, but still yes. Immigrants have done really only good things for the country and I don’t know why they’re taken in a negative light now.
MH: In the past decade, would you say we have dived into a time of more conflicts, or more resolutions?
DK: It’s like one step forward, two steps back. Personally, I would say it’s very close. More neutral. But since the Ukraine war, I would lean towards more conflict.
It’s yet unclear what’s next for Syria and for immigrants in the United States more broadly as we enter a second Trump presidency. Although Syria may feel distant to many Americans, its developments may have significant effects on the local immigrant community.
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