Assad s Downfall Marks a New Realignment in the Middle East – WSJ

DOHA, Qatar The struggle to depose Bashar al-Assad s regime took more than 13 years, causing untold death and destruction, because outside powers turned Syria into a proxy battlefield for their own ambitions.

When Assad s government finally fell on Sunday morning, after a lightning campaign that took his friends and foes by surprise, it was toppled by the Syrians themselves as the regime s main benefactors were enfeebled, and distracted, by mayhem elsewhere.

The outcome of this tectonic shift is bound to have a profound impact on the Middle East, and on the global balance of power.

Much will depend on how orderly the transition to a new rebel-led administration will be, and to what extent the rival Syrian factions including the Kurdish and Alawite minorities will be able to avoid further conflict.

via www.wsj.com

One of those weeks in which decades happen.