It’s taken just an eight-day offensive for rebels in Syria to bring down the brutal, murderous Assad regime, which had ruled for half a century. 

The dictator Bashar al-Assad fled Damascus to Russia, where he’s reportedly been given asylum. 

But with the main Syrian rebel group behind the movement being a declared terrorist organisation in Australia and having previous links to Al Qaeda, what does the future hold? 

Today, the ABC’s Global Affairs Editor John Lyons on what comes next and what it means for the Middle East. 

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John Lyons, ABC Global Affairs Editor