Who will rule Syria now the Assad regime has been toppled?

ON THE ROAD to Damascus from Syria’s border with Lebanon on December 8th, Syrian army posts lay deserted. The asphalt was littered with uniforms left behind by Bashar al-Assad’s forces, who had swiftly changed into civilian clothes and fled from advancing rebels. Posters with the former dictator’s face had been torn and defaced. Less than two weeks after rebels began their advance, the regime had fallen and Mr Assad had fled to Moscow. In Damascus and across the country, Syrians were cheering a fresh start and a reboot of their relations with the world.