The Middle East after Assad
No one should harbor false hopes about the coming change in Syria: Assad’s regime will not be supplanted by a rule-of-law democracy. At the same time, developments in Syria entail not only risks, but also opportunities for the region, given the strategic weakening of Iran in a post-Assad era.
BERLIN – What will the Middle East look like once the Syrian civil war brings about the fall of President Bashar al-Assad, whose clan has ruled the country with an iron fist for more than 40 years? Given the recent dramatic turn of events that has pushed the battle for Syria to a new stage, this question can no longer be avoided.