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What Happens To Dictators After They Are Deposed?
From exile to death, where are they now?
On December 8th, 2024, Bashar al-Assad, the brutal dictator who ruled Syria for decades, fled his country for the safety of Moscow. In his final hours in Damascus, Assad lied to his generals, promising that Russian military support was on its way and that the country would continue to fight against the rebels. Then he hopped into a plane and flew out of Syria for the final time, leaving his stunned compatriots behind. After decades of ruling, years of war, and countless international incidents, Assad looked as though he would never return to Syria ever again.
It was a joyous moment for those who had spent their lives opposing the bloody regimes of Assad and his father. But it also raises some interesting questions.
What happens to dictators after they are deposed? Where do they go? What do they do? What is the most common fate for those who are forced from authoritarian power? Where is Assad now?
These questions are pertinent today. People casually call world leaders dictators daily. Regime change is on the hearts and minds of armchair and standard generals alike. But what exactly happens to these people once they are gone?
