febrero 17, 2025

No Evil Lasts a Hundred Years

No Evil Lasts a Hundred Years

Jesús Sánchez Meleán

Haga click aquí para leer la versión en español

There is a popular saying that goes: “No evil lasts a hundred years, nor can any body endure it.” Well, it seems that Bashar al-Assad has proven not only that all evils have their limits, but also the patience of an entire nation. That regime, which began with Hafez al-Assad in 1971 and was extended by his son Bashar until the end of 2024, finally fell under the weight of its crimes and failures.

For more than five decades, Syria lived under the yoke of this dynasty, which, in the last 10 years alone, left a heartbreaking toll: 300,000 dead, 20,000 political prisoners, and 6 million refugees. And let us not forget the 106 times the Assad regime used chemical weapons since 2013 against its opponents, violating international treaties and leaving a legacy of horror that even its most cynical allies, like Russia and Iran, could not justify.

Speaking of allies, this is where Assad’s fall leaves us with a valuable lesson. In Latin America, we have a regime that seems to be reading from the same playbook. Chavista leader Nicolás Maduro has imprisoned 2,500 political dissidents in just the last four months. Like Assad, Maduro also counts on the support of Russia, Iran, and, to our misfortune, the complicit silence of some governments in the region, such as Mexico.

History has taught us that every evil has an expiration date. Assad could not sustain his dictatorship, no matter how many powerful allies he had. Maduro and the Chavistas should take note that their days are also numbered. And who knows? Perhaps we will soon see Maduro requesting asylum in Moscow. Putin, his friend, and mentor, will grant it as quickly as he did for Assad. Perhaps Putin will even send a plane to get him out of Venezuela.

Upon arriving in Russia, Maduro could even share stories about the practice of authoritarianism with his old friend Bashar. The fall of Assad is not only a victory for the Syrian people, but also a reminder that, as the saying goes, “No evil lasts a hundred years.” And for Venezuelans, who have endured 25 years of Chavismo, that day will come too. In the end, not even the most tyrannical leaders can withstand the weight of their own history.

Jesús Sánchez Meleán

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