Syria’s Uncertain Future

Syria’s Bashar al-Assad recently resigned as the nation’s leader and fled the country, ending the brutal 54-year family reign. Opposition forces brought the country’s 13-year civil war to an end by finally capturing major strongholds and Damascus itself. Al-Assad’s governmental collapse appears to coincide with declining support from Russia, Iran, and Hezbollah. In his absence, rival factions now seek power in the country. This division among would-be leaders may prevent future stability in Syria.

With the departure of former president al-Assad, many prisons have been opened and political prisoners freed (Al Jazeera, December 9, 2024). Many of these people had disappeared without a trace during al-Assad’s regime. Fighters and relief workers continue “to find prisoners left behind, open secret cells, and even find the locations of secret facilities.”

While European nations are cautiously optimistic about Syria’s future, several nations have also suspended Syrian asylum seekers’ applications as the situation settles (France24, December 9, 2024). Europe and the United States have turned their attention to preventing a leadership vacuum in the nation that might enable the return of the Islamic State to power and influence.

The reality of toppling a despotic regime in any region of the world is that tremendous work is required to prevent something even worse from rising to take its place—and there are no guarantees of success. This differs from the final replacement of world regimes that will occur with the return of Jesus Christ to the earth. He will return as King of kings and immediately set up the government of God, which will spread to cover the whole world and will never end. This will be done according to a plan that is guaranteed to succeed. To learn about this exciting future, be sure to watch “Blessings of Righteous Government.”