The world was taken by surprise when rebels in Syria abruptly toppled Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
Those in the political and foreign policy establishment, who have long been advocating regime change, had reason to celebrate. Assad had been in their sights for more than a decade. Yet that same establishment is now wringing its hands over the question of “what next?” After all, their track record of rosy predictions after regime changes is spotty. For example, 13 years after Moammar Gaddafi was toppled, Libya is still embroiled in a civil war.
Certainly, the world should be happy to have one less brutal dictator, and the world should be happy for the Syrian people to have a chance at something better. Yet, despite Assad having fled to Russia, the U.S., Israel and Turkey continue to drop bombs on Syria. In a case of “be careful what you wish for,” these countries are apparently concerned about the rebels who have taken control of Syria—and Assad’s stockpile of chemical and other weapons falling into their hands.
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Events on Syria
