Hello everyone,
Welcome to the 12th episode of my podcast - Eyes on Eurasia with Glen Howard. Today, we have a special podcast dedicated to recent developments in Syria that resulted in the downfall of the Assad regime – a family dynasty that ruled this important Middle Eastern country for over 50 years.
The tidal wave of events in Syria in the past couple of weeks has led to the emergence of a major rebel group known as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) led by an enigmatic leader who goes by the name of Abu Mohammad al-Jolani. Little is known about al-Jolani or his rebel group HTS, which was previously based in the northern Syrian province of Idlib and, in a matter of weeks seized the Syrian city of Aleppo and has now captured the Syrian capital of Damascus.
With Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad now in Moscow, a diverse array of groups are struggling for power in post-Assad Syria, which will likely affect the country’s future as a new interim government is being formed in Damascus. However, some outside experts fear post-Asad-Syria could become a repeat of post-Saddam Iraq as it seeks to overcome more than a decade of civil war.
Joining me to discuss these developments is former BBC World Correspondent and Islamic affairs expert Murad Batal Shishani. Mr Shishani is a leading expert on militant jihadist groups in the Middle East who has closely tracked groups like HTS, Islamic State, and its predecessor al-Qaeda. Murad is a Senior Resident Fellow at the New Lines Institute - Middle East Center and the Founder of Remarks on Political Violence research group.
Enjoy the podcast!
Glen
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