Assad’s Fall After 24-Year Rule Creates Power Vacuum in Middle East
- Syria power vacuum could see rebel forces compete for control
- It’s also unclear how Iran and Russia will eventually respond
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As Bashar Al-Assad fled to Moscow, the looters started raiding the presidential palace and people took to the streets of Damascus to celebrate his demise. The Syrian president had tried to hang on until the bitter end, still desperately sending an SOS to anyone who would listen, including Donald Trump. The despot had run out of road.
The world is still grasping the speed of events in recent days, and the collapse of a ruling dynasty that laid waste to the country during a catastrophic civil war. But the implications are also quickly sinking in — and not least the prospect of more upheaval and violence as groups tussle for control.