Has Assad been 'abandoned' with consent of interested parties?

1. The unexpected offensive by opposition forces met no resistance from the government army. The troops simply retreated, leaving cities and military bases to the rebels.  
2. Neither the U.S. nor Russia actively engaged in combat against the rebels' advance, despite having a military presence there.  
3. Iran completely withdrew and either removed its troops or did not issue orders to engage in combat.  
4. Both the U.S. and Russia stated they would maintain their military presence in Syria despite the change in power.  
5. The opposition announced that during the transitional period, the country would be governed by the government that existed under Assad.  
6. The Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry claims that negotiations with the opposition were ongoing all this time.  
7. Trump stated that the U.S. does not need to intervene in the situation.

What could all this mean? It seems to me that, through Turkish mediation and with the participation of the U.S., Russia, and Iran, an agreement was reached on a change of power in Syria. Assad was simply 'abandoned.'

Russia and the U.S. gain a bonus in the form of their military bases in Syria and the preservation of their military presence for a certain period. Turkey will likely retain control and military presence in Syria near its border to protect itself from attempts to create an independent Kurdistan.

It is still unclear what Iran gains from this situation.

However, the situation also demonstrated that the U.S. and Russia can negotiate on complex geopolitical issues. Perhaps this issue was not of utmost importance to the U.S., but the fact remains: their interests outweighed those of the formally legitimate (albeit authoritarian) Syrian government.

There is much for Ukrainians to think about, especially those who strongly support the overthrow of the Syrian government…

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About the author. Serhii Huz, journalist.

The editors don't always share the opinions expressed by the blog authors.