Is Syria heading to political pluralism?

As Syria enters its “post-liberation” phase, it faces a single question that overshadows all others: is it truly moving towards a pluralistic political system, or merely reinventing the old one-party state in a new form? This question grows more urgent with every sign that the rules of political life are being rewritten.Hints of the latter are not hard to find. Earlier this month Al-Modon, a Syrian news website, reported that preparations were under way to establish a new political party under the supervision of the General Secretariat for Political Affairs, to be led by President Ahmad al-Sharaa and Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaybani. Pro-government figures, however, denied that any such party was in the works, describing the process as an “administrative arrangement”. Even so, so…