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last weekend Syrian rebels have sparked the fall of more than 50 years of fascist rule. Yesterday, rebels be independent Detained prisoners population trampled About the burning of pictures of President Bashar The ousted al-Assad family go for a walk Pass by the ransacked presidential palace and take photos Assad and his family fled to Moscow. They have been granted asylum. According to Russian state media reports Some Syrian refugees are waiting at a border crossing to return to the country they fled during the Syrian civil war. which has been going on since 2011
Until now, Syria is part of “Informal authoritarian networks,” my colleague Anne Applebum wrote yesterday. The fall of a leader represents the possibility of change. Not only in Syria but also other members of this network as well Here are five questions answered by Atlantic Writers about what’s next for Syria, its allies, and the United States.
Why did the Assad regime collapse now after 54 years?
Syrians’ loyalty to Assad gradually eroded, then all at once disappeared. Anne explains: Suspicion grew after Assad’s Russian supporters It’s started. to transfer troops and equipment from Syria to Ukraine in 2022, and “recent Israeli attacks on Hezbollah’s leader have prevented Iran, another Assad ally, from helping him as well,” she wrote.
Totalitarian regimes use brutality to eliminate any hope. that people may have for a different future Anne noted that “Our Leader Forever” is slogan of Assad dynasty– “But all such ‘eternal’ regimes have one serious flaw,” she wrote. “Soldiers and police are also citizens. They have relatives who are suffering. cousin and friends suffering from political oppression and the effects of economic collapse. They also have their own doubts. And they may not be safe either. In Syria, we’re just now seeing the results.”
“The turning point was the surrender of Aleppo with virtually no resistance,” Anne tells me when we speak by phone today. “It is almost as if the regime is dissolving. When people see that no one is fighting for it No one will support it. Why do we have to fight for it?–
What’s next for the Syrian people?
There really is a case for positivity. My colleague Graeme Wood observed today: “The recent behavior of Syria’s newly conquered rebels appears reassuringly civilized,” he acknowledged. “Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the group Immediately responsible for Assad’s overthrow has been announced Victory is not a license to destroy state institutions… If the rebels support this merciful beginning, and enshrined in the law and practice tolerance and equal rights for women, Alawis, Christians, Kurds, Druze and other groups, they deserve an apology from everyone who delayed victory. Including Western politicians.”
However, Graeme noted that “There is good reason to suspect that a new Syria will resemble this gum-and-horse utopia.” Hayat Tahrir al-Sham’s leader is Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, who was. leader Al-Nusra—”Al Qaeda’s franchise in Syria that serves as the slightly less evil twin of ISIS,” according to Graeme. However, Graeme admits that the image of Syrian citizens on social media “It shows hope and unity. So far Syria has had fascism for 50 years and there will one day be the opposite. If more of those days could be combined – perhaps a month and dare to hope for even a year. The resistance of the past decade has been worth it.”
in the next few days Observers may begin to get a clearer picture of Syria’s future. What should we be careful of?
“Look at the calmness of the city,” Ann told me. “Will there be panic, looting, and uncontrollable riots? Or will people stay home and see what happens?” Should observers “Look at what the institutions and the government do,” she said. “There are many people in Syria who work in various aspects of the state, even if it is not an efficient or well-run state. But there is an electrical system and traffic laws. Someone enforces those things. That those people will stay and continue to work according to a systematic pattern It will give you an idea of whether a peaceful change will occur or not.”
The third thing to follow Anne told me it was various armed groups. How do they interact with each other in Syria? “Some people use very inclusive language and try to speak for the entire nation,” she noted. “They have different backgrounds and origins. Some come from the Islamic world. Some come from the Syrian opposition. Some of them are Kurds. If they create a council or transitional government What brings them all together? That’s a good sign. And if they don’t do that It is a bad sign.”
What does the fall of the Assad regime mean for Iran and Russia? Who has been a long-time supporter of Syria?
Iran has lost another proxy force in the region, explains Eliot A. Cohen in a recent article. “Iran is a strong state. In the sense that people are deeply rooted in a shared history and culture. But it had a relatively weak army. It had invested heavily in proxy warfare with remarkable success. Including opposition to the US in Iraq, but with the defeat of Hamas and Hezbollah. and the fall of the Assad regime Iran has thus suffered irrecoverable losses.” Russia is also “humiliated by the collapse of its clientele,” Eliot wrote, “and now faces enduring hostility from the Syrian population it helped. suppress”
What does regime collapse mean for the United States?
America is once again stymied in its desire to leave the Middle East. Eliot remarked. And it is facing an even more pressing problem: “If Iran really chooses to pursue nuclear weapons, The Trump White House will have to decide whether to call in heavy bombers and block that move. This will cause nuclear proliferation beyond that. The Persian Gulf,” he wrote, “may have to face that decision early.”
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Today’s news
- The police are here. Interview with a 26 year old man As a “person of interest” in UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting, he was arrested at a McDonald’s in Altoona. Pennsylvania and has guns and silencers. fake identity card and US passport According to New York City Police Department officials
- New York Jury Vote today to acquit Daniel Penny. of negligent homicide in the death of Jordan Neely on a New York City subway last year.
- in interview On NBC yesterday, President-elect Donald Trump said he could not guarantee that his proposed tariffs would not increase prices for Americans. He also suggested that he It will attempt to end birthright citizenship. And the congressman who investigated the January 6 insurrection should be jailed, he said, adding that he was not interested in political revenge.
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For those who are currently severely obese Even the slight benefits of diet and exercise seem questionable. In the past few years Clinical trials of Ozempic and related drugs have shown that the “foundation” of treatment does little to increase the effects of these drugs on people’s body weight.
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