WIREDGOV

EXPERT COMMENT

Events in Syria have upended the balance of power in the region – exposing the weakness of the dictator’s alliances and driving home the failure of Western policy.

The speed of the Syrian opposition’s victory in toppling President Bashar al-Assad has added to the significance of the moment. Even more remarkable is that this revolution, which will reshape the region, was an uprising by Syrians themselves – not one imposed by a foreign government.

Fighters led by Abu Mohammed al-Jawlani’s HTS forces swept aside five decades of rule by the Assad family in just over a week, revealing the weakness at the heart of the regime – and the inability or unwillingness of its patrons, Iran and Russia, to help it survive. The result is clearly a considerable setback for Moscow and Tehran. The most likely winner is Turkey, backer of some of the opposition forces.

But Assad’s fall will add to instability all around. Countries in the region will now scramble to contain the risk that unrest spreads as the balance of power shifts.

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