The tide in the Syrian civil war has clearly shifted. After capturing Aleppo in late 2016, Bashar Assad's regime -- with much help from its Russian and Iranian patrons -- is capturing other parts of the country from both ISIS and other opposition groups. Most of the international community seems to have accepted at least a partial victory by Assad as a fait accompli.
This does not quite mean that Syria will be unified any time soon under an effective central government. It is more likely that Assad will control a large portion -- but not all -- of the national territory, that opposition groups will continue to control parts of the country, and that while Iran and Russia will consolidate their presence and position in the country, some of Syria's neighbors and other Middle Eastern countries will continue to support opposition groups....
