One year after the fall of Syria’s Assad regime, the country stands at a crossroads, wrestling with both the scars of a brutal past and the flickers of hope for a better future. The end of 54 years of Baathist rule and the conclusion of a 14-year civil war have brought an opportunity for Syrians to rebuild their nation—on their own terms, for the first time in decades. Yet, as Syrians reflect on the last twelve months, it’s clear that the journey out of the darkness left by the Assad dynasty is only just beginning.
The Assad family’s grip on Syria began in 1971, when Hafez Al-Assad seized power, and continued unbroken until his son Bashar was toppled in 2024. According to James Snell’s book, The Fall of the Assads: The End of Half a Century of Tyranny in Syria and How it will Change the World, the Assads’ rule turned Syria into a “kingdom of fear, a place where saying the wrong word to anyone might mean arrest, torture and death.” Over the decades, the regime hollowed out state institutions, weaponized sectarian identities, and left the economy in tatters.
By the eve of liberation in 2024, the regime’s hold on power was already tenuous. Assad’s forces controlled less than 70 percent of Syrian territory, and even that depended on foreign military support from Iran and Russia. The private sector had been gutted, farmland destroyed, and the Syrian currency had collapsed—wiping out over 99 percent of its value. Per-capita income plummeted from $2,500 in 2010 to just $830 by 2024, pushing around 80 percent of Syrians into poverty. The physical cost of the war was staggering; the damage was estimated at $108 billion, with one million homes damaged or lost and half the country’s hospitals and schools rendered unusable.
Internationally, Syria became a pariah. The regime’s violent crackdown on protests led to sanctions from the United Nations, European Union, and the United States. In 2011, the Arab League suspended Syria’s membership. Seven million Syrians were displaced internally, while another six million became refugees abroad. The regime’s increasing reliance on illicit activities further isolated the country. As The National reported, the Assad regime turned to producing and exporting Captagon, an amphetamine drug, which became a major state operation. In 2020, Italian police seized 14 tons of amphetamines and 84 million tablets valued at $1 billion from a ship originating in Latakia, Syria—a single shipment that underscored Syria’s role as one of the world’s largest drug suppliers. “With Syria’s legitimate primary and secondary industries in states of disarray and collapse, captagon became a serious export,” Snell observed.
This transformation of the state into a drug-running enterprise eroded its capacity to govern and contributed directly to the regime’s collapse in 2024. Yet, as Snell reminds readers, the image of Assad’s regime as victorious after 2017 was always an illusion. Syria was deeply indebted, institutionally weak, and increasingly dependent on foreign backers. The final downfall came swiftly, with state institutions so hollowed out that they crumbled before advancing rebel forces, led by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham.
The transition since Assad’s ouster has been remarkable—if incomplete. The new caretaker government has managed to avoid the worst-case scenarios predicted by many. Security, while fragile, has steadily improved, and basic services have been restored in many regions. Investments in electricity and infrastructure are gaining momentum, and state institutions are beginning to function again, albeit imperfectly. Public wages have been raised from around $25 to roughly $100 per month—still low, but a significant improvement that has allowed the government to credibly demand an end to corruption and abuse.
Internationally, Syria has made notable progress in rehabilitating its image. The Arab League reinstated Syria’s membership in 2024, and embassies have reopened across the globe. In September 2025, President Ahmed al-Sharaa became the first Syrian leader in six decades to address the UN General Assembly. On November 10, he made history as the first Syrian President ever to visit the White House. These diplomatic milestones would have been unthinkable just a year earlier.
Economic recovery, however, remains a monumental challenge. The cost of reconstruction is projected at $216 billion, with some estimates as high as $345 billion. While Syria has secured multibillion-dollar investments in infrastructure and energy projects, and gained international support for easing sanctions, implementation has been slow. Sanctions remain only partially lifted as of December 2025, keeping many Western firms on the sidelines and creating uncertainty around investment decisions.
The humanitarian crisis is far from over. Food insecurity is widespread, exacerbated by low rainfall and rising prices. Millions of refugees and internally displaced people are eager to return home, but they need security, infrastructure, public services, and employment opportunities. The government is working on a revised economic plan that prioritizes livelihoods, small-business recovery, and targeted social support, aiming to turn early stabilization into real improvements in daily life.
Efforts at national reconciliation are ongoing but incomplete. The country remains divided, with negotiations continuing with Kurdish forces in the east and the Druze militia in the south. Optimism persists that agreements will eventually be reached, paving the way for reunification under a decentralized structure and a more inclusive democratic transition.
The legacy of the Assad era continues to shape Syria’s present. As Snell’s book highlights, the West’s policies towards Syria—especially the focus on fighting Daesh (ISIS) after 2014 while overlooking regime atrocities—enabled Assad to cling to power longer than he might have otherwise. “Western policy towards Syria has, almost universally, been a disaster,” Snell argues, emphasizing the urgent need for a new approach that includes sanction relief, securing chemical weapons, and supporting Syrian-led rebuilding efforts.
President al-Sharaa’s recent visit to Washington is widely seen as a step toward shifting political sentiment and building momentum for the full lifting of remaining sanctions. Only then, many analysts believe, can Syria truly unlock its economic potential and begin to heal the deep wounds of the past.
One year on, Syrians have demonstrated resilience, discipline, and an unwavering desire for a better future. The challenges ahead are immense—no one is pretending otherwise—but the spirit of renewal is palpable. With continued pragmatism, hard work, and international support, Syria has a real chance to turn its fragile recovery into a lasting renewal. The country is rising—slowly, steadily—and for the first time in generations, Syrians are beginning to build a new future on their own terms.