CaspianReport

Partition of the Syrian Arab Republic (2018x4)

: 24, 2018

As ISIS has scattered from the conventional battlespace in Syria, the focus has shifted to other parts of the country. The army of al-Assad, backed by Iran and Russia, have confined the rebel militias to pockets all over the country. The most significant rebel concentration is near the city of Idlib, where Turkish-backed militias and Islamist groups are held up. The war has continued by these parameters, but it has taken a different form. Nearly all the opposition figures who started the anti-government movement are no longer around and goals for regime change have vanished as well. This new phase in the war has little to do with al-Assad, ideology, international law, or even Jihadist groups. Instead, every belligerent wants a piece of influence in Syria, which effectively means the dismemberment of the state.