By In a stunning turn of events, a collection of rebel forces led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), an entity designated by the United States and numerous countries as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, toppled the government of Bashar al-Assad, marking the end of the 50-year brutal rule of the Assad family over Syria. The astonishing speed at which Assad’s regime fell leaves many questions to be answered about what happened. How did Assad fall so quickly? Who are the rebel groups responsible for Assad’s demise, and what is their future in Syria? How are regional actors responding to these developments? And what should America’s role be in this conflict? Rich Outzen, Vandenberg Advisory Board Member and nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, and David Adesnik, vice president of research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), join Vandenberg Executive Director Carrie Filipetti to offer their own distinct insights on what to make of the current situation.
