The U.S.-Israeli war and economic blockade against Iran raise questions over how regimes survive crises or succumb to existential pressures. Historical examples suggest that internal fissures and the cost-benefit analyses of individual security personnel are often decisive in tipping a teetering regime over the edge.
The trial and conviction of senior Assad-era officials, including Bashar himself, is a watershed moment in the Syrian transition. But for accountability not to go too far, discernment between those who designed or directed the state crimes and those who were surviving in an authoritarian system is necessary.