Even with hopes running high, so much can go wrong when a country ousts a longtime dictator and tries to start anew

History tells us that where a fragmented coalition of armed groups finds itself in a political vacuum, more violence is probably on the horizon.

In fact, the scale of the challenge facing Syria is greater than that which confronted Libya in 2011. Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown after less than a year of conflict that cost thousands of lives. But on his death, much of the country’s infrastructure remained intact. Libyan rebels had exported oil even before his overthrow.

Russia has begun withdrawing a large amount of military equipment and troops from Syria following the ouster of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, according to two US officials and a western official familiar with the intelligence.

The country is deeply divided along religious and ethnic lines, which makes continuing violence one likely scenario.

Israeli air strikes in Syria, the cutting of electricity and water lines—that complicated the reality on the ground. The fall of Assad was a fast-moving story, which caught news organizations off guard.

While the Russian military continues to withdraw equipment and troops from Syria, Israel has continued its air raids, intended to further degrade what is left of the former Syrian Armed Forces’ fighting capacity.

My first reaction to news earlier this month that the Syrian government had been overthrown was, how much did we have to do with it; how involved was the CIA;

Russia is transferring advanced air defense systems and military equipment from its military base in Syria to Libya.

Explore how Syria can learn from the experiences of Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Yemen, and Sudan in its transition to democracy.