Scott Neuman
The Islamist rebels whose swift seizure of Syria over the weekend toppled long-time dictator Bashar al-Assad have not only ushered in an unsettled new era for the troubled country, but they promise to reshuffle the region's fraught geopolitics.
The ousting of Assad, who ruled Syria for a quarter century after assuming power from his father, leaves a dangerous political vacuum. Ahmed al-Shara – formerly known by his nom de guerre, Abu Mohmmad al-Jolani – at the head of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, is at least nominally in charge. He and his group are at the helm of a fractious rebel alliance that fought Assad over more than 13 years of civil war. Formerly known as the al-Nusra Front, HTS was once affiliated with al-Qaida. Although Shara claims to have broken ties with al-Qaida, HTS remains on a U.S. State Department list of terrorist organizations.
It's a complex and fluid situation on the ground, and most observers agree it's all but impossible to predict how things will play out in the coming days, weeks and months. But as Syria marks the start of a new chapter, here are five dynamics that experts say will be important to pay attention to.
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