‘The army just ran away’: how Bashar al-Assad lost his brutal grip on Syria

Former president’s regime killed and tortured hundreds of thousands of protesters. Now Syrians are facing a new country and a new reality

One month ago, during a meeting in Beirut, a senior western diplomat was venting his frustration: when would international sanctions be lifted from the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad? Though the dictator had few friends, it seemed that the brutal killing and torture of hundreds of thousands of protesters had succeeded in finally crushing Syria’s 13-year revolution.

It was time to face facts, the diplomat said. Assad had won the war, and the world needed to move on.

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