A Syrian child evacuated from the embattled Syrian city of Aleppo during the ceasefire arrives at a refugee camp in Rashidin, near Idlib, Syria. Picture by STR AP/Press Association Images. All rights reserved.Right now, the situation in Syria seems hopeless. As Eastern Aleppo passes into government control the Assad regime has agreed for UN observers to enter the city to oversee the evacuation; an unexpected concession and a small cause for optimism. The people of Aleppo have undoubtedly been experiencing a major humanitarian tragedy, and suffering beyond measure as a result of Russian and Syrian bombardment, as well as the actions of Iranian militias who apparently killed up to 83 civilians since the bombardment ended.
It should be mentioned that rebel groups have also been subjecting civilians in Western Aleppo to major human rights abuses, with shelling aimed at civilian infrastructure that has claimed numerous innocent lives.
It is unclear where Syrian public opinion is regarding Assad. What is clear is that there were peaceful uprisings in various parts of Syria in 2011, and these were brutally crushed by the regime, paving the way for the country to descend into violence and destruction. Indeed, it is certainly not only extremists who are opposed to the regime; peaceful protests have continued to occur intermittently throughout the war, despite the ongoing chaos. The optimal outcome of the conflict is for democratic elections to take place and the regime to step down, but what seems more likely is that the country will break up into different regions under different forms of governance.
