The Assad dynasty has fallen. After 54 years of Assad family rule, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad quietly fled the capital city of Damascus on Saturday night, seeking asylum in Russia. The government that had clung onto power through military force for so long crumbled in the face of a sudden uprising led by Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, former head of Al Qaeda in Syria who later fought against Al Qaeda and founded an independent Islamist organization.
The United States did not expect Assad to fall, but it now has many cards to play in influencing the postwar situation. President Joe Biden gloated on Sunday that his policies have "shifted the balance of power in the Middle East," and promised to keep U.S. troops on the ground in Syria. Although President-elect Donald Trump personally said that Syria is "not our fight," he bashed the Obama administration for not getting involved more decisively. Members of Trump's circle also seem eager to shape the postwar outcome.
