SYRIA: THE GEOPOLITICS OF A CHANGE IN REGIME
The Assad family (Hafez and after his death his son Bashar) have been in control of Syria for 54 years. They have been considered enemies by the US, as they were allies of the USSR, later Russia, and revolutionary Iran. The US government as well as its ally Israel no doubt is glad to see them go. They will be replaced by an Islamist group called Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (Organization for the Liberation of the Levant). And suddenly, in US eyes, Islamists are not so bad. After all, the enemy of my enemy may be my friend.
Syria (pop. 23 million) is a strategic linchpin in the Middle East and a cauldron of different ethnic and religious groups. US troops are already stationed there, in the southeast and supporting the Kurds in the northeast.
We must keep our eyes on the unfolding situation.
Source: The New York Times, 12/8/24