People Power From South Korea to Syria

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There were two major political earthquakes in December 2024 in different parts of the world. First, South Korea President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law on Dec. 3 and sent armed security to the National Assembly. Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the opposition party, led masses of people to counter Yoon, giving the legislative body time to vote down the martial law declaration. Yoon’s presidency survived the first impeachment attempt against him, but he is not expected to remain in power for much longer.

Less than a week later, Syria’s formidable and seemingly invulnerable dictator Bashar Assad fled his war-torn nation to seek exile in Russia. A new offensive by Syrian rebel groups—one that was not expected to succeed—ended his despotic rule in just two weeks. Now, as various rebel factions regroup, will Syria devolve into more war as a result of infighting or find a way to achieve peace, stability, and perhaps even democracy?

John Feffer, director of Foreign Policy in Focus and Global Just Transition at the Institute for Policy Studies, is the author of several books including Right Across the World: The Global Networking of the Far Right and the Left Response (Pluto Books). He spoke with YES! Senior Editor Sonali Kolhatkar on YES! Presents: Rising Up With Sonali about how people power can protect democracy in South Korea and usher in democracy in Syria.