On The New Region's premier episode of GeoSpace, hosted by Mohammed A. Salih, Syria expert Fabrice Balanche answered hard-hitting questions about the situation in Syria following the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime, the achievements of the new Damascus administration, and the shortcomings of the Ahmed al-Sharaa government.

Balanche, who visited Syria earlier this year, said he was “not optimistic” about the country's future, citing the concentration of radical Islamists in Sharaa’s administration, who the expert believes “want an Islamic state.”

“Sharaa needs to show to the west a nice face toward the lifting of the sanctions. But the project is clear: It is an Islamic republic,” said Balanche.

These plans toward a centralized Islamic administration will alienate minorities in Syria and lead to inevitable “chaos”, according to the expert.

“At the time of Assad, Syria was a very centralized country... if Sharaa wants to reestablish this centralization... it will be catastrophic.”

“In a few months there will be chaos in Syria. There will be massacres like we saw with the Alawites,” he added.

Balanche also warned that if the rights of minorities like the Druze, the Alawites, and the Kurds are not guaranteed under the new Damascus administration, “they will not work for the country,” noting that “the minorities feel unsafe in Syria, especially after the Alawite massacre.”

When asked whether he thinks the new system in Syria enables Sharaa to remain “president for life,” Balanche stated “Yes! ila al-abad,” using the Arabic phrase for “forever”.