It is an open question whether these rebels can scale up what they achieved in Idlib, a poor, agrarian region with a relatively small population, throughout most of Syria. The alliance said it would grant an amnesty for lower-level government workers and soldiers,

Sham, the leading rebel force, must work to allay public fears that it will seek to replace Assadism with its own form of absolute rule.

The scramble is on to define the future of Syria, quickly, to avert a war even more divisive than the conflict that has riven the nation for thirteen years.