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His country a smouldering ruin, but Assad still in his seat
![Canada has announced sanctions against 27 high-ranking officials in the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad. (Photo by Kremlin.ru [CC BY 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)],)](https://canadianinquirer.net/v1/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Bashar_al-Assad_in_Russia_2015-10-21_08.jpg)
FILE: Bashar Assad. (Photo by Kremlin.ru, CC BY 4.0)
As the sides prepare for what will be the eighth round of U.N.-sponsored peace talks in Geneva later this month, one thing is clear and that is that President Bashar Assad has survived the war.
One reason is military. Assad’s forces have had the momentum on the ground the past year, backed by an overwhelming Russian air campaign and fighters from Iran and Hezbollah. Assad’s government now controls more than 50 per cent of Syria.
Holding half the country normally wouldn’t be an optimistic sign, but that’s up from 19 per cent earlier this year. His troops control Syria’s four largest cities.
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