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Syria: Has Assad Won?

It's been over seven years since the uprising in Syria, which turned first into a civil war and then a proxy war drawing in many countries. Is an Assad victory now in sight?

It has been over seven years since the uprising in Syria turned first into a civil war and then into a proxy war that has drawn in countries near and far. During that time at least 350,000 people have been killed, over 5 million have fled the country, and over 6 million have lost their homes. The war has seen sieges, artillery barrages and airstrikes on civilian neighbourhoods, hospitals and schools. With the help of Iran, Russia and Hezbollah, the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad has recaptured the major cities. His enemies are, as ever, divided. Rebels cling on to enclaves near the Turkish border in the north and in the north-east the Kurdish dominated SDF still controls about a quarter of the country. But in the south, the Syrian government has this week retaken Deraa province where the uprising began in 2011. So is the war coming to an end? Or is it entering a new phase? This week on The Real Story Chris Morris and a panel of expert guests discuss the Syrian war, how long does it have to go and how can the country start to rebuild?

(Photo: A house burns after Syrian forces shelled it with heavy artillery in the besieged town of Douma by Muhammad Al-Najjar/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Available now

50 minutes

Last on

Sat 4 Aug 2018 11:06GMT

Contributors

Patrick Cockburn -聽Journalist and writer on the Middle East

Michel Duclos - Former French Ambassador to Syria

Nour Samaha -聽 Beirut based journalist covering the Middle East

Karin Von Hippel - Director of the Royal United Services Institute in London

Also featuring:

Ilhame Ehmed - co-leader of the Syrian Democratic Council

Fares Shehabi - Syrian MP from Aleppo

Broadcasts

  • Fri 3 Aug 2018 08:06GMT
  • Fri 3 Aug 2018 17:06GMT
  • Fri 3 Aug 2018 23:06GMT
  • Sat 4 Aug 2018 03:06GMT
  • Sat 4 Aug 2018 11:06GMT

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