There's a quote that I can't find the original source for right now, from a Russian mercenary, which I thought was indicative. It ran something like "this war will drag on for at least another three years, the people in Syria, they don't want Assad, they can't stand him. It's only Russia and Putin that want him". My question would be - can this really be imposed? Can a rump state really impose it's rule through sheer violence? That's what we're seeing currently and I'm assuming that there are substantial economic costs for doing so, to Russia and Iran. A lot of the recent unrest in Iran has focused on what they're doing in Syria, in terms of the economic cost, not just the bloodshed. So - I wonder how long can this be sustained?
if it ever does "settle down" I imagine we'll end up with a Syrian populous much like the Palestinians, permanently displaced and stateless.
if it ever does "settle down" I imagine we'll end up with a Syrian populous much like the Palestinians, permanently displaced and stateless.