Trinity Historian David Lesch in The Atlantic on the Fall of Bashar al-Assad

In an interview with The Atlantic, David Lesch, Ph.D., Ewing Halsell Distinguished professor of History and longtime Syria scholar at Trinity University, argues that the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime was driven in large part by Assad’s personal leadership flaws. Lesch notes that Assad lacked the political instincts and toughness of his father, Hafez al-Assad, who ruled Syria for decades with tight control over rival power centers. According to Lesch, Bashar governed within an opaque system of competing factions and struggled to assert decisive authority.

Lesch also points to Assad’s deep insecurity and reluctance to accept advice, which made him increasingly isolated from reality and dependent on loyalists who reinforced his views. That combination of weak leadership, internal power struggles, and misjudgments ultimately left the regime vulnerable when military and political pressures intensified. Read the full story here.

Note: The Atlantic is a paywalled publication.