Strategic Assessment

Six years into Syria’s bloody civil war, the conclusion of the war is still a long way off. Bashar al-Assad’s December 2016 conquest of Aleppo – the country’s second largest city – with Russian and Iranian support was a significant achievement in the campaign against his rivals. However, since the embers of protest and rebellion continue to burn in the country, the war may well continue for some time. Though not likely, not impossible are the collapse of the regime and the victory of the rebels due to Washington’s deepening military involvement in Syria, or, alternatively, Bashar al-Assad’s unnatural departure from the scene. However, over the past year luck appears to have been with Assad, the man whom so many were quick to eulogize. Indeed, he might even emerge from the war with the upper hand.