Assad ist gefallen. Was kommt als nächstes für Syrien und den Nahen Osten?

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad fled the country early Sunday local time as a lightning advance by a coalition of rebel groups brought an abrupt end to 50 years of brutal rule by the Assad family. The news sparked jubilation on the streets of Damascus but also immense uncertainty about the future of the deeply troubled country.

The stunning offensive, led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), saw the armed rebels seize control of the major cities of Aleppo, Hama, and Homs in less than two weeks as Syrian government forces—demoralized and in disarray after years of fighting—made a rapid retreat. Meanwhile, Assad’s most powerful allies also appear to have been caught off guard by the swift advance, with Russia bogged down in Ukraine and Iran’s proxies badly weakened in clashes with Israel.

The unexpected collapse of the Assad government has sent diplomats scrambling to both keep pace with events and fathom the potential ramifications of the sudden power vacuum in a country where armed groups, Islamist extremists, and foreign powers have long jockeyed for influence.

It will be another Libya,
Iraq, little bit of Egypt but more complicated. Here is my controversial statement for the day: west should let local dictator stay in place, especially in a place like Middle East where religion influences politics heavily. A mad can control the fanatics very well. With now power in hands of fanatics, the shit show is just gonna start soon. Look at Bangladesh and carnage of Hindus.