The unexpected demise of the Assad regime in Syria has thoroughly upset the already confused political map of the Middle East. Following the fall of Damascus on 8^th December to the rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and the departure of Bashar Al-Assad to Moscow, where his wife and children had preceded him some days earlier, nations around the world are falling over themselves to hail the end of the Assad dictatorship and express their hopes for a stable and peaceful future for Syria. While the initial moves by the rebel group, which was formerly associated with Al Qaida, seem positive – setting up a caretaker government and freeing prisoners from the fallen regime’s notorious prisons – commentators are pointing out that the country’s future course remains uncertain.