The fall of the Assad regime has taken most people by surprise - including maybe even those doing the toppling. What will emerge from the mix of chaos and joy is hard to judge - Syria is a very complex country, socially, culturally and politically. It's also - very unfortunately for Syrians - a country where other powers have significant interests - Turkey, Russia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Israel (which has a history of supporting the al-Nusra Front, the offshoot of Al Qaida which has now given birth to HTS), the United States.
No better judge of what will ensue could be found than Patrick Cockburn, one of the very best living Middle East correspondents. Irish citizen, brother of the hilarious and brilliant Alexander, uncle of Hollywood star Olivia Wilde, and son of the marvellous and anarchic Claud (longtime resident of Youghal in north Cork), Patrick Cockburn has been fearless in his explorations of the Middle East for decades and fearless in saying what he thinks about it. Less bombastic or self-regarding than Robert Fisk, Cockburn is worth reading now.
(Incidentally, he's just published a superb biography of his father, with the entirely apposite title, Believe Nothing Until It Is Officially Denied).
Here is Patrick Cockburn at the I Paper:
