About this episode
Former Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad depended on his military to keep him in power for years. Then in just a matter of days, that same feared military disintegrated as rebel groups took control of the country. Our reporter in Damascus talks to former military members to understand why the military collapsed so fast. Support our non-profit journalism by joining NPR+ at Plus.NPR.org Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy