<p>It was hoped the fall of Syria&#39;s former dictator Bashar al-Assad would usher in a period of stability, unity and perhaps - eventually - democracy.<br></p><p>But now the country enters a new and unpredictable phase as President Ahmed Al-Sharaa tightens his grip on power.In the north-east of the country the Kurds were the West’s key ally against Islamic State.<br></p><p>Now their control in the region is collapsing after days of fierce battles with government forces. A tentative ceasefire is in place but the fallout is far from clear, including the fate of thousands of ISIS prisoners and their families who were in Kurdish-controlled camps.Regional powers like Turkey and Iran, as well as China, Russia and the West are also jostling for influence.<br></p><p>Could these developments finally bring a period of calm and stability in Syria or just open the door to new dangers?<br>In this episode of The Fourcast, Jackie Long was joined by Channel 4 News International Editor Lindsey Hilsum and Lina Khatib, Principal Analyst at geopolitical foresight company ExTrac.</p>