Since the fall of Assad’s dictatorship in December 2024, Syria has undergone a tense and fragile political transition. The country is now ruled by President Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former jihadi commander who is heading a transitional government.
As al-Sharaa has sought to consolidate central authority and rebuild the state, his rule and legitimacy have been challenged, particularly by Syria’s ethnic and religious minorities, including the Alawites, Druze, and Kurds.
The Kurdish population, concentrated in northeast Syria, would have preferred a federal state with autonomy, but have been forced by the al-Sharaa government and Turkey to accept a much more restricted form of local self-rule.
Both the new transitional government and Kurdish self-rule have been significantly constrained by external powers, particularly Israel, Turkey, and the United States.
The new Syria is no longer in Iran’s sphere of influence, but has instead become a battleground between Turkey and Israel in a new regional power struggle defined by increasing multipolarity.
