Title: Western Policy Towards Syria: Applying Lessons Learned
Place of publication: US
Publisher: Middle East and North Africa Programme
Release date: 2017

Six years into Syria’s conflict, ‘victory’ for any particular actor is likely to prove a relative term. The regime of President Bashar al-Assad holds the military advantage, but lacks the capacity and resources to recapture and govern the whole of Syria. A post-settlement Syrian state would likely see new elites and warlords wielding power and influence across the country. At the same time, extremist groups are likely to persist and evolve. This is no recipe for stability.[1]