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Why Iran's Involvement in Syria May Backfire
(Washington Post) Thomas Juneau - Though the survival of Syrian President Assad's regime is now virtually guaranteed, this is a Pyrrhic victory for Iran, which has been dragged into a costly quagmire with no end in sight. Pre-2011 Syria will not reemerge: Assad has survived, but he faces continuing insurgencies. Hizbullah gained fighting experience and acquired new advanced weapons, but suffered as many as 2,000 combat deaths, including senior commanders, and as many as 5,000 injured. Iran and its allies have been lining up tactical military victories on the battlefield since 2015, but these do not amount to winning the war. Assad is not strong enough to eliminate the opposition, and there is little to suggest that he has the ability to lead the process of rebuilding the country. The writer is an assistant professor at the University of Ottawa's Graduate School of Public and International Affairs.