PrintWith the fall of the Assad regime overnight and a transition process now underway, it feels good to be able to write more freely and freely use the term regime without having to worry about exposing contacts in regime-held territories to risk of arrest and reprisal, particularly given that one of my friends was being held in Saydnaya Prison and fortunately remained alive to get out among the freed prisoners. As the regime reclaimed more territory and seemed to have cemented its position, I felt as though I had to exercise more caution in conducting interviews and research: self-censorship in many ways. No more.
It has been remarkable to observe, in real time, the reactions of many Syrians I have come to know over the course of the civil war that has now been realised as a revolution. Obviously, those who expressed opposition to the regime prior to its fall were joyful, but intriguing also were the reactions of those who had fought on the side of the regime during the war, including those who worked with the Iranians and/or Hezbollah and fought on Assad's side up to the very end.
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