Myth Busting in a Post‐Assad Syria

Bibliographic Data

ID6442368
AuthorsRob Geist Pinfold (0000-0003-0856-6327, Dr. Pinfold is a lecturer in international security in the Defence Studies Department, King's College London, and a research fellow at the Peace Research Center Prague in the Faculty of Social Sciences at Charles University., corresponding author)
Year2025
Volume32
Issue1
Pages3-21
Publication date2025-02-11
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueMiddle East Policy (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1061-1924 • E-ISSN: 1475-4967
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/mepo.12799
OpenAlexW4407386507
LanguageEN
Citations received1

This article challenges common misconceptions about the fall of Syrian President Bashar al‐Assad. It debunks the notion of a simplistic rebel/regime dichotomy and instead delineates the diversity of actors and interests in a post‐Assad Syria. It also critiques the perception that Hayat Tahrir al‐Sham won a decisive battlefield victory and illustrates that this was as much a political triumph as it was a military one. It then assesses how genuine the group's transformation from jihadist to pragmatist really is. Further, it shows any claims that Russia and Iran will leave Syria are unrealistic, while Israel's role in the country is often misunderstood. It concludes by critiquing the assertion that the international community has no good options in Syria and should therefore stay away. Instead, it advocates cautious engagement with the new regime. Overall, the analysis highlights Syria's complex power dynamics and warns against oversimp‐lifications in devising policies for Syria's post‐conflict reconstruction and rehabilitation

Ancient history · Art · Mythology · Political science · African history and culture analysis · Classics · History · Middle East and Rwanda Conflicts · Middle East Politics and Society

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