Group items tagged

control

whether the opposition moves to purge regime employees

offices are trashed and looted

violent power struggle

unitary state with a strong central government is unlikely to emerge from the civil war.

great challenges exerting control over local leaders who fought the regime

ederation of warlords (probably former military and security chiefs) ruling over fiefdoms

unitary entity

Syrian army

opposition will have more time to set up rudimentary institutions

provide humanitarian aid for Syrian refugees

likely be accompanied by a new round of massacres and ethnic cleansing

Sunni extremist groups.

new opportunities for external actors, especially Iran and Hizballah, both of which would seek allies among the former regime's Alawite security elite

Iran's

remain a major player in the Levant

hostile to Iran and more closely aligned with Turkey, Egypt, or Saudi Arabia.

revolutionary Sunni government in Syria

Iran and Hizballah

support to former regime

Washington should continue with preparations to contain spillover from the conflict

enabling it to collect tariffs on imports

Washington will need to know as much as it can about the key players,