Looks like the rebels took advantage of Russia's divided attention between helping Assad and fighting with Ukraine.


Assad Flees, Rebels Enter Damascus,
Ending 50 Years of Syrian Family's Rule

Syria's army command notified officers that President Bashar al-Assad's rule
has ended following a lightning rebel offensive. Assad flew out of Damascus
for an unknown destination, two senior army officers told Reuters, as opposition
forces entered the capital.

A Syrian Airplane took off from Damascus airport around the time rebels
reported taking the capital, according to Flightradar data. The aircraft initially
flew toward Syria's coastal region, a stronghold of Assad's Alawite sect, before
making an abrupt U-turn and disappearing from tracking systems.

Thousands in cars and on foot congregated at a main square in Damascus
waving and chanting "Freedom," witnesses told reporters. The head of Syria's
main opposition group abroad, Hadi al-Bahra, declared that Damascus is now
"without Bashar al-Assad." The government evacuated the Damascus airport
and halted all flights, according to pro-government radio station Sham FM.

https://www.newsweek.com/syrian-rebels-enter-damascus-homs-assad-forces-retreat-1997268

Al Nusra, funded by the CIA, moved in from Idlib. Turkey will squash the kurds, they've been wanting to do that, and ISIS will be reborn.

some places, some people, you need to be a ruthless dictator to rule, otherwise, it's warlords, clans, and losers.  Some places just aren't cut out for democracy.  sorry, not sorry.  The world is ugly in some places.

would be a terrific opportunity for Israel and Jordan to do a massive land grab, a.k.a. "buffer zone".  Heck, relocate the Palestinians to far east Syria.  Lots of land out there up for grabs.

JMO.

i'm going to wait for our forum SME to mansplain explain it all to us...

One of the problems with forcing a democratic republic onto a people who grew up under a dictator is they are normally less educated and women are treated as second class citizens with almost no rights.  Many countries outlaw allowing women to have an education at all to include reading and writing.

How does one educate an entire country to be able to make the choices that are good for their country and themselves?  How do you stop the "carpetbagger" elements like the Taliban or ISIS from getting themselves elected through less than ethical tactics?

When the US first started voting, it was reserved for male landowners for the most part.  It took nearly 200 years for the women to win the right to vote -- 1920 nationally, to be exact.  So, the social constructs of the time needs to be taken into account in order to not upset too many apple carts in the beginning.  Else, the people will reject it and elect themselves another dictator to "fix" things they don't like about the new system of government.

Change is hard.  Fundamental change is even harder.

I hope they transition to democratic elections or the kurds get more safety.  They helped us defeat isis.  Hope Trump doesn't abandon them again. 

Israel should move to invade and shutdown the road from Iran.

I hope they transition to democratic elections or the kurds get more safety.  They helped us defeat isis.  Hope Trump doesn't abandon them again. 

Israel should move to invade and shutdown the road from Iran.

Trump abandoned the Kurdish rebels as part of his pledge to the people of America to stop the endless wars we were engaged in.

Is it your belief that our nation owes more to rebel fighters engaged in civil war in Syria than to the American people in terms of our wealth and blood?

The last secular government in the Middle East is gone. Now it’s 100% jihadistan. Great job, CIA.

I hope they transition to democratic elections or the kurds get more safety.  They helped us defeat isis.  Hope Trump doesn't abandon them again. 

Israel should move to invade and shutdown the road from Iran.

Abandon who?  The Kurdish rebels in Syria?  Maybe you missed the memo.

https://2ahawaii.com/index.php?topic=55641.0

Where is this "road to Iran?.  Route 606?  That would be wrong to do.

The highway thus provides land-locked Afghanistan an alternative way to access
the Arabian Sea and the Persian Gulf, instead of relying solely on Pakistani routes.
"The road is much shorter and more stable than any of the routes in Pakistan,
making it perhaps the most efficient means of reaching Afghanistan."[4]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Route_606_(Afghanistan)

Shutting down one road that many countries depend on isn't a solution for anything.  Such a shortsighted opinion.  It's not the only "road to Iran", just the fastest.  and shutting a road down doesn't impact Iran as much as it does other, more landlocked nations.

Look at a map then see if you still have that opinion.  Part of Iran's south-western border runs the entire length of the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman and then into the Arabian Sea.  It's northern border also runs along the Caspian Sea.  Shutting down a road makes zero sense tactically, strategically and diplomatically considering how many nations it would hurt.

The last secular government in the Middle East is gone. Now it’s 100% jihadistan. Great job, CIA.

Doesn't Israel count as Middle Eastern?

Doesn't Israel count as Middle Eastern?

I guess he shoulda said the last arab secular govt in the middle east.

although I think Jordan is pretty modern, but I suspect they run a really tight ship internal security services to keep the islamic extremists at bay.

King of Jordan is probably laughing at the Islamic invasion of England, "amateurs..."

In hindsight, one of Assads mistakes was letting Al Nusra live-and-let-live in Idlib province, after many failed attempts to root them out.  US State Dept and CIA kept referring to Al Nusra terrorists as "Freedom Fighters", propping them up, Tulsi called them out on that back then, and took a lot of heat for her Syria opinions, earned her no favors, but she was right.  I guess they were just biding their time to when Russia wasn't going to be able to come to Assad's aid.  Wouldn't be surprised if US State Dept and CIA kept shipping weapons to Al Nusra.

Assad was also powerless to stop Turkey from repeatedly grabbing land up north, and infringing upon Syria's sovereignty, Turkey claimed it was fighting terrorism.  Turkey using NATO-supplied western weaponry against Assad's hand-me-down russian rattle-traps.

and it didn't help that the US also set up bases in eastern Syria to keep Syria Army out of there, supposedly to protect US oil interests, even though Assad declared a truce with the Kurds.

Yup, a country without borders is not a country.  Where have we heard that before?

and I am not a forum SME.  I just remember tracking the Syria war day-by-day when it was hot-and-heavy, years ago.

Doesn't Israel count as Middle Eastern?

The opposite of a bad thing is often something even worse.

The opposite of a bad thing is often something even worse.

And to unburden yourself from what has come before is often more burdensome.

And to unburden yourself from what has come before is often more burdensome.

Perfect example.

I hope they transition to democratic elections or the kurds get more safety.  They helped us defeat isis.  Hope Trump doesn't abandon them again. 

Israel should move to invade and shutdown the road from Iran.

This is going to be difficult to do as they've never had this before.  So they don't know what voting is.  But it all has to start somewhere.  I'm curious to see which American puppet will be installed.

Did Syria help us defeat ISIS?  I remember that Trump cut off funding to Syria and ISIS disappeared.

This is going to be difficult to do as they've never had this before.  So they don't know what voting is.  But it all has to start somewhere.  I'm curious to see which American puppet will be installed.

Did Syria help us defeat ISIS?  I remember that Trump cut off funding to Syria and ISIS disappeared.

Even Assad knew that ISIS was evil, and IIRC, had the syrian army engaged to fight ISIS tooth-and-nail, nothing to do with the US.  It was for the survival of Syria.  There's bad, and then there's mo' bad.

Voting?  the way it works in islamic countries, especially the uneducated ones, is that the mullahs at the mosques tell their faithful how to vote, and they take it on blind faith, do as their told, and install an islamic state.  Take into account that the overthrow of Assad was led by islamic extremists.  It's just a question of which islamic extremist faction ends up on top.  Democracy isn't always the right answer, JMHO.

same concept applies to democrat voters.  I guess the democrats think the same of the republicans, too, oh well.

in order for democracy to work, you need education and literacy.  IMHO, those are basic minimum conditions, but by themselves, still do not guarantee a good government.  Look at europe, going down the tubes.  In the olden days of yore, the pope would declare a holy crusade to cleanse the kingdom of the heathens, something like that, i'm a little rusty with my world history.  Similar to a jihad when you think of it.

Even Assad knew that ISIS was evil, and IIRC, had the syrian army engaged to fight ISIS tooth-and-nail, nothing to do with the US.  It was for the survival of Syria.  There's bad, and then there's mo' bad.

Voting?  the way it works in islamic countries, especially the uneducated ones, is that the mullahs at the mosques tell their faithful how to vote, and they take it on blind faith, do as their told, and install an islamic state.  Take into account that the overthrow of Assad was led by islamic extremists.  It's just a question of which islamic extremist faction ends up on top.  Democracy isn't always the right answer, JMHO.

same concept applies to democrat voters.  I guess the democrats think the same of the republicans, too, oh well.

in order for democracy to work, you need education and literacy.  IMHO, those are basic minimum conditions, but by themselves, still do not guarantee a good government.  Look at europe, going down the tubes.  In the olden days of yore, the pope would declare a holy crusade to cleanse the kingdom of the heathens, something like that, i'm a little rusty with my world history.  Similar to a jihad when you think of it.

It took the American colonies 200 years to get it better than it was in England.  The issue, which you mentioned is education. Women in the middle east aren't  usually allowed to go to school or like education. But then again, look at the US, educated people don't know male from female. But i digress, it all has to start somewhere.  But I don't think it will.  Look how Iraq ended up. So 200 years sounds about right.

I hope they transition to democratic elections or the kurds get more safety.  They helped us defeat isis.  Hope Trump doesn't abandon them again. 

Israel should move to invade and shutdown the road from Iran.

All the rebel forces are bad/terrorists.  Picking hairs on which ones are least bad.  We only supported the Kurds because they fought Isis and Saddam but I wouldn't consider them good.  ISIS is the worst
 But best to stay out of it as much as possible.

Even Assad knew that ISIS was evil, and IIRC, had the syrian army engaged to fight ISIS tooth-and-nail, nothing to do with the US.  It was for the survival of Syria.  There's bad, and then there's mo' bad.

Voting?  the way it works in islamic countries, especially the uneducated ones, is that the mullahs at the mosques tell their faithful how to vote, and they take it on blind faith, do as their told, and install an islamic state.  Take into account that the overthrow of Assad was led by islamic extremists.  It's just a question of which islamic extremist faction ends up on top.  Democracy isn't always the right answer, JMHO.

same concept applies to democrat voters.  I guess the democrats think the same of the republicans, too, oh well.

in order for democracy to work, you need education and literacy.  IMHO, those are basic minimum conditions, but by themselves, still do not guarantee a good government.  Look at europe, going down the tubes.  In the olden days of yore, the pope would declare a holy crusade to cleanse the kingdom of the heathens, something like that, i'm a little rusty with my world history.  Similar to a jihad when you think of it.

Yep.  People tend to forget that Muslim countries use their religion as both a spiritual teaching as well as their governmental guidance.  In Iran, Saudi Arabia, etc., there are both government police and religious police -- one enforces the laws of the government,  the other the laws of Islam.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_religious_police

All the rebel forces are bad/terrorists.  Picking hairs on which ones are least bad.  We only supported the Kurds because they fought Isis and Saddam but I wouldn't consider them good.  ISIS is the worst
 But best to stay out of it as much as possible.

My opinion is the US was going to back whoever opposed Assad, for the simple fact that Russia was supporting Assad.

We've not progressed very far in our national security policies since Korea and Vietnam.  The friend of our enemy is our enemy.

Since the 1980s, our main goal was a stable Middle East, because instability invited wide swings in oil prices, among other things.  Ever since 9/11 and the wars we and other allies participated in, stability in the region has been sporadic.  Iran craves instability, because they believe a worldwide caliphate is coming soon, and they also believe they are destined to lead it.

The Obama administration, with the help of Hillary Clinton and John Kerry, helped create a massive instability called the Arab Spring.  Civil wars and terrorist attacks were happening from Libya to Egypt and many other countries.  They wanted regime change, but as with most incompetent and shortsighted leaders, they didn't realize the people they installed would be too weak to hold onto that power.

Ever since, the area has been very unstable.  Syria has been fighting their civil war since 2011.  Let's see.  Who was running the US back then?