Why Iran Won’t Be Syria—and Why That May Be Worse
The Syrian civil war began on March 15, 2011, when Syrian security forces kidnapped and tortured young teens in the southern town of Deraa who allegedly defaced images of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Outraged Syrians poured into the streets in protests that quickly spread across the country.
By the time Assad fled into exile in 2024, the civil war he helped spark had killed more than 600,000 Syrians and created more than 6 million refugees.
Beyond losing the presidency, Assad suffered no personal consequences. He reportedly spends his days playing video games in a luxury penthouse in Moscow.
The optimism that surrounds widespread protests in Iran today mirrors that which surrounded the demonstrations before the outbreak of the Syrian Civil War.
Now as then, democracy is likely not around the corner.
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