The collapse of the Assad regime: the last chapter of the Arab Spring

After more than a decade of resistance, the regime of Bashar al-Assad collapses under pressure from rebel forces, marking the last act of a domino effect that began in 2010

The collapse of the Syrian regime, led by Bashar al-Assad for 24 years and before that by his father Hafez, is the last episode of the Arab Spring. What looked like an established regime was brought down by the offensive of rebel forces led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. For years, thanks to the support of Russia, Iran and Hezbollah, Assad had maintained control over a country devastated by the civil war that began in Daraa in 2011.

The beginning of the Arab Spring and the fall of Ben Ali in Tunisia

The revolution began with the so-called ‘Jasmine Revolution’ in Tunisia in late 2010, a movement that led to the fall of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali after 23 years in power. His regime, accused of corruption and repression, collapsed following massive protests, and Ben Ali fled into exile, dying in 2019.

The end of Gaddafi in Libya and the NATO intervention

In Libya, Muammar Gaddafi, in power for over 40 years, was overthrown in 2011. After months of civil war, NATO’s intervention alongside the rebel forces proved decisive. Gaddafi was killed by rebels in October 2011 in Sirte, closing one of the longest chapters of autocratic rule in North Africa.

Mubarak and the Egyptian revolution

Hosni Mubarak, president of Egypt for 30 years, was forced to resign in February 2011 after weeks of mass protests in Cairo. Mubarak was accused of causing the deaths of protesters and went on trial, but was acquitted in 2017. He died in 2020.

Yemen and Saleh’s tribal instability

Ali Abdullah Saleh ruled Yemen for 33 years, describing his tenure as a ‘dance on the head of snakes’ due to the country’s complex tribal dynamics. He ceded power during the Arab Spring in 2011, but tried to maintain influence, eventually being assassinated by Houthi rebels in 2017.

The end of Omar al-Bashir in Sudan

Omar al-Bashir ruled Sudan for 30 years, until his overthrow in 2019 due to popular protests. Under indictment for war crimes and genocide in Darfur, Bashir is now imprisoned, ending a long era of dictatorship in Sudan.

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