IT IS cruelly fitting that one of the acknowledged cradles of civilisation is now a showroom for the cruelties, irrationalities, and injustices of the modern capitalist world.

At various times, Syria was part of the lands that were widely admired for their enlightened governance, tolerance, and economic development.

Today, Syria is a wasteland, divided into parcels, and occupied by alien forces that show no regard for the country’s legacy or the unity and wellbeing of its people.