Syria is witnessing the making of a unique and volatile situation, as Pro-Assad forces and U.S. backed Syrian rebels are slowly pushing ISIS out of the country. But once the fighting had stopped and the terrorists are annihilated, the question of who will be in control of Syria remains.
What is the political climate in Syria at the moment?
There are three groups composed of six major players in this "Game of Thrones" type of power struggle in Syria. First group is the Syrian government under Bashar Al-Assad, a Shiite, which is backed by Iran also a Shiite state and Russia.
The second is the Syrian rebels who are Sunnis, which are backed by major Sunni states in the Middle East along with the United States and the third group is the ISIS jihadists.
Each of these participants are vying for the complete control of Syria perpetuating a 5-year civil war in expense of 450,000 civilian deaths and 11 million displaced individuals caught in the crossfire. At the moment, the Syrian forces and the U.S. backed rebels are "united" against a common enemy, the ISIS group, but after its eventual defeat, the Syrian government will have to face the rebel threat head on.
What will Trump do after ISIS is defeated?
U.S. President Trump will have a big dilemma after ISIS is defeated in Syria.
Assad's forces and the rebels are irreconcilable and once the common enemy is removed, they will surely fight each other in a final duel.
The United States had long been anti Assad, especially during Obama's regime. Trump had vowed that he will change Syria but not get entangled in a long foreign war, but the unfolding events show otherwise.
The United States is slowly being entangled again in another Middle Eastern war. However, Trump may find the Syrian war profitable as it may be place to wage war against Iran indirectly. As Iran supports Syria, any war against Assad's regime will affect Iran's economy for the worse. The only thing that complicates the matter is the steady involvement of Russia is Syrian affairs.
What is Russia's position over the Syrian crisis?
Russia has considerable vested interests in Syria. Because of this, Moscow will continue to support Assad to ensure a free Syria. However, the United States doesn't want Assad in power in Syria.
Trump went against Assad after the Syrian government's use of chemical weapons against civilians who supported the rebels.But with Trump's attack on Assad, Iran, who had deployed militias within the Syrian rank and file, are now targets of America's constant air strikes as well.
In the end, Trump may have the chance to fight Iran, though it would be in another country, wherein a single mistake can spark an unintended war against Russia.
