Syria’s International Stakeholders: Dynamics Before and After Assad’s Rule

Syrian rebel forces achieved a significant breakthrough, concluding Bashar al-Assad’s 24-year tenure as president. Opposition groups captured the capital, compelling the president to depart on 8 December. This ousting occurred after a 13-year civil conflict, which began when Assad suppressed pro-democracy demonstrations. The hostilities resulted in over half a million fatalities, the displacement of millions, and the entanglement of global powers and their allied forces. Global attention is currently focused on the evolution of Syria’s political environment following the conclusion of the Assad family’s five-decade governance. Nations with a significant stake in both the conflict and the nation’s future encompass Russia and Iran, who supported Assad, alongside the US and Turkey, who provided backing to various rebel factions and militias. This analysis examines the involvement of these countries, in addition to Israel, in Syria’s affairs, and their potential ongoing roles. Throughout the Syrian civil war, Turkey has offered arms, military, and political assistance to rebel factions, a majority of which currently operate under the Syrian National Army (SNA) banner. Syria’s northern neighbor has primarily aimed to utilize rebels to curb the Kurdish YPG militia, which Turkey alleges is an offshoot of the PKK, a Kurdish rebel group prohibited within its borders. Furthermore, Turkey seeks the repatriation of approximately three million Syrian refugees residing in its territory. The YPG constitutes the largest