After 14 years of brutal war, 500,000 dead and millions forced to flee their homes, SyrianFrom Syria, a Middle Eastern nation that has been involved in a civil war since 2011, killing thousands. rebels have overthrown their dictatorA ruler who has total power, and has often taken power by force. , Bashar al-AssadThe president of Syria since 2000. He fled to Russia with his family in 2024. .

No-one on the planet saw this coming. Experts thought a ceasefire in 2020 meant the end of the war and of the Arab SpringA series of mass protests across the Arab World against dictatorships that had stood for decades. In Tunisia, the protesters succeeded in creating a democratic government, but many other countries collapsed into civil war or experienced new dictatorships., a movement that saw the toppling of four dictators in Arab countries in the early 2010s.

Assad used chemical weaponsToxic chemicals used deliberately to harm people. on his own people. Prisoners faced torture and abuse.

He was part of a global network of dictators, backed especially by IranA country in Western Asia, officially called the Islamic Republic of Iran. It has a population of 84 million. and RussiaThe largest country in the world by area. It has a population of 144 million people..

That is why some are hopeful Assad's fall will have a domino effect. Ukrainians, anti-Putin Russians and Iranian opposition may use this moment of weakness for Assad's two biggest alliesAn ally is someone that aligns with and supports a cause with another individual or group of people..

But others are more cautious. They say Assad's state was uniquely fragileEasily broken., and others will not fall as easily.

The future will also depend on the success of Syrian rebels in making a new, peaceful governmentThe group of people who govern - or lead - the country..

The leading Syrian rebel group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), is an IslamistAn advocate of Islamic fundamentalism. Often used in the West to describe those who believe in imposing Sharia (Islamic law) on societies. group that began as an offshoot of al-QaedaThe terrorist organisation was set up in 1988 by Osama bin Laden and other Arab volunteers fighting in the Soviet-Afghan War.. It has its own history of human rights abuses.

Many Syrians were united by their hatred for Assad. Now he has gone, their differences could send Syria back into war.

Before they turn on their own rulers, many will be watching to see if Syria can make a success out of its revolutionA sudden change in the way things are done..

Could even Putin be toppled?

Yes! People around the world will be inspired by the Syrians, who have shown that even the most brutal leaders are sometimes weak at the core.

No! Dictators stay in power by dividing the people in their countries. Syrians may soon find new reasons to fight each other - and this will make Russia's leader Putin and Iran's leader Khamenei feel much safer.