A New Syria Emerges After 13 Years Of Civil War And Decades Of Dictatorship

ALEPPO, SYRIA - JANUARY 23: Members of the all-female 'Gardenia Choir,' who have come to represent the resilience of women in Syria in a time of war, perform in the city of Aleppo on January 23, 2025 in Aleppo, Syria. Aleppo, Syria's second-largest city and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, saw years of destruction from fighting during the civil war in Syria. Following the overthrow of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad by opposition groups in a quick offensive on December 8, the country is looking to gain economic momentum after years of global sanctions on the Assad-led government. Arab and Western countries have been reopening diplomatic relations with Syria's new de facto authorities, headed by the Islamist former insurgent group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS. Fourteen years of war have left the Syrian economy damaged, with tens of thousands of residents living on or below the poverty line. The World Food Program estimates that 13.1 million Syrians do not have enough to eat. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)