Analysis: Al-Assad's Fall Would Be a Loss for Iran and Russia, But Are There Any Winners?

Analysis: Al-Assad's Fall Would Be a Loss for Iran and Russia, But Are There Any Winners? 

Pic. Assad

After 54 years of al-Assad family rule, Syria’s regime has come to an end. On December 8, Bashar al-Assad fled the country and sought asylum in Russia. The downfall of one of the Middle East's most oppressive regimes occurred after just 12 days of clashes between the Syrian army and a coalition of opposition forces, marking the conclusion of the 13-year Syrian civil war.

The conflict claimed over 350,000 lives and displaced at least 13 million people. The al-Assad regime’s brutal crackdown on a peaceful uprising escalated into an internationalized civil war, involving major players like Russia, Iran, Turkey, and the United States.