The regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria collapsed yesterday, as rebels that had begun a surprise offensive less than two weeks ago took control of Damascus. Assad has fled to Moscow, while his PM stayed behind and said he would cooperate with the rebels—led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS—to ensure an orderly transfer of power. (New York Times)
Our Take
For anyone who has followed the Syrian Civil War since it began in 2011, the lightning speed with which Assad fell over the past two weeks is nothing short of astounding. His family had been in power for more than 50 years, and he himself had been president since the turn of the century. And despite the very real threat that the civil war posed to his rule for many years, until two weeks ago it had seemed the war was over. Observers had declared Assad the victor.
Assad’s rapid fall, then, triggers a kaleidoscope of flashbacks to the Syrian Civil War and the moments that led to this one: the mass anti-government protests in the wake of the Arab Uprisings; the initial violent response by Syrian security forces; the Assad regime’s use of chemical weapons on Syrian civilians; the U.S.-led fight against the Islamic State; Russia, Iran and Hezbollah’s intervention on Assad’s behalf; Turkey’s offensive against U.S.-backed Kurdish militants; and through it all, the mass outflow of Syrian refugees to neighboring countries and Europe.