What the fall of Assad says about Putin’s ambitions for Russia’s great-power status

By Stefan Wolff, Professor of International Security, University of Birmingham

The lightning-fast collapse of the Assad regime in Syria has sent shock waves across the Middle East. The disposal of the dictator whose family had ruled the country with an iron fist for more than half a century has triggered a potentially seismic shift in the balance of power in the region.

But there are also important repercussions beyond Syria and its neighbourhood – with Russia one of the more significantly affected powers.

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