It’s the Syrian people, stupid!

The fall of Assad cannot be understood solely through the lens of geopolitics or realpolitik. It’s a testament to the perseverance and agency of the Syrian people.

The problem with too much geopolitics is that it often stops saying anything meaningful. It fails to capture life on the streets, the networks of people, the emotions that, at the end of the day, truly matter. The same critique applies to realpolitik frameworks. I’m not arguing they’re useless—far from it. They can be valuable analytical tools. But there’s a limit to viewing the world as a Eurocentric board game.

Yes, Syria has been a battleground for global and regional powers, each pouring money and weapons into shaping the country’s future to suit their interests. Yes, the results have been uneven—some players have seen their investments evaporate, while others have emerged with tangible gains. Yes, the conflict will have regional repercussions.
And yes, Syria’s future is bleak; the question of who will govern and in what form remains tangled.

But the most critical point to grasp is this:

A family’s stranglehold cr…