The lightning-quick removal on 8 December of Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad after 53 years of Assad family rule will have seismic effects on the Middle East for years to come. Geographically, it holds a vital strategic position in the region, bordering Iraq to the East, Jordan to the South, Israel and Lebanon to the West, and Turkey to the North, with a long Mediterranean coastline as well. It critical geopolitical importance reflects this, beginning with a crucial role in the resurgence of pan-Arabism under Bashar’s father, Hafez,…
