For over a decade, Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria weathered a brutal civil war, emerging as a seemingly unshakable force despite the fractured state of the country. However, on December 8, 2024, the unexpected occurred: opposition forces stormed Damascus from multiple directions, toppling Assad’s government. The events leading up to this seismic shift unfolded with astonishing speed. By November 27, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) had launched a joint offensive on Aleppo, capturing it in less than two weeks. By December 9, Hama fell, and rebel groups seized the opportunity to strike across the nation.

Assad’s sudden downfall parallels the collapse of Afghanistan’s government under Ashraf Ghani in 2021, but the circumstances diverge in one key aspect. Unlike Ghani, who presided over a visibly fragile administration, Assad was widely perceived as Syria’s dominant force. His grip on power, long reinforced by alliances with Russia, Iran, and proxy militias, seemed unyielding. The question remains: how did Syria’s seemingly resilient regime disintegrate so rapidly?

Syria’s collapse was a culmination of systemic failures that eroded the foundations of the Assad regime. The nation has been mired in a profound humanitarian and economic crisis for years. With 90 percent of Syrians living in poverty, widespread malnutrition plagued the population. Basic necessities like food became luxuries for many, forcing families into cycles of debt they could not escape. By 2024, even Damascus, traditionally a stronghold of government stability, faced prolonged power outages, sometimes for 20 hours a day. Electricity prices surged by over 585 percent in the spring of 2024, compounding the misery of a destitute population.

The regime’s inability-or unwillingness-to address these crises further alienated the Syrian populace.........

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