Syria’s rebels had strengths, but it was his regime’s weakness that undid Assad

Perhaps the principal reason for the swift military victory of the rebels was political: the careful and apparently successful outreach to Syria’s diverse communities, including some that had previously been supportive of the regime. H A Hellyer, of the Royal United Services Institute, pointed out last week that Ismaili Shias appeared to have been won over to the rebels’ cause, or at least not opposed it.