Behold the latest installment of 'Whose Ruin Is It Anyway?', the long-running Middle Eastern sitcom where the plot points are made of cordite and the borders are as permanent as a caffeine high. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), once the darlings of every Western editorial board that wanted to feel 'progressive' about bombing things, are currently engaged in a 'rapid rollback.' That’s geopolitical speak for 'running for their lives' as the vacuum left by Bashar al-Assad—a man who spent decades perfecting the art of being a sentient oil slick—is filled by a new, equally depressing assortment of actors.

It is almost poetic, in a deeply nihilistic sense, how quickly the 'brave allies' of the democratic world are filed away into the 'obsolete' folder the moment the prevailing winds shift. For years, the SDF were the convenient buffer, the boots on the ground that allowed the West to maintain a semblance of a conscience while doing absolutely nothing of substance. Now, as the Assad regime dissolves into the history books like a bad fever dream, the SDF finds itself staring at a map that no longer recognizes their existence. The north-east is being reshaped, which is a polite way of saying it is being carved up by vultures who have been circling the carcass of the Syrian state since the beginning of this sordid affair.

The retreat from positions in the north-east and the loss of hard-won territory isn't just a tactical withdrawal; it’s a masterclass in the futility of trust. The SDF trusted the Americans; the Americans trusted their own short-term memory; and the various rebel factions—now emboldened by the sudden absence of a centralized tyrant—trust only in the divine right to be the next person holding the whip. We are witnessing the biggest change of control in Syria in a generation, and yet, if you squint, it looks exactly like the last one. Different beards, perhaps. Different acronyms on the technicals. But the underlying stench of opportunistic power-grabbing remains remarkably consistent. This is the fundamental truth of the region: every 'liberation' is merely a rebranding of the upcoming oppression.

The tragedy—if one still has the capacity for such a quaint emotion—is the collective delusion that this 'reshaping' leads anywhere but a different basement in a different torture center. The 'liberators' currently flooding the streets and pushing back Kurdish-led forces are often just the B-team of the previous regime's nightmares, backed by regional powers like Turkey who view the Kurds not as a people, but as a nuisance to be paved over. The international community, meanwhile, watches this tectonic shift with the glazed eyes of a bored teenager scrolling through a feed. They’ll issue statements of 'deep concern,' which is the diplomatic equivalent of 'thoughts and prayers' for people who have run out of ammunition and strategic relevance.

Let us be clear: no one in this scenario is a hero. The SDF played the game of 'lesser of two evils' until the board was flipped. The rebel coalitions are a kaleidoscope of fundamentalist ambition and mercenary greed, currently feasting on the remains of a state that barely existed to begin with. And the civilians? They are, as always, the background noise in a conversation between men with guns. The rollback of the SDF is the final nail in the coffin of the 'New Syria' fantasy. What comes next won't be a democracy, or a federation, or even a stable autocracy. It will be a fragmented collection of fiefdoms where the only thing being 'reshaped' is the method by which people are exploited for the glory of some new, equally vapid strongman.

The geopolitical 'experts' will spend weeks analyzing the 'strategic implications' of this retreat. They’ll talk about the 'security architecture' and the 'regional balance of power' as if they’re discussing a game of chess rather than a meat grinder. But the reality is simpler and far more grim. Control in Syria is a revolving door. Assad stayed too long, the SDF thought they had a seat at the table, and now the table has been chopped up for firewood. The Kurds are once again reminded that in the high-stakes world of international relations, they are the small change used to tip the waiter before the restaurant burns down.

As the map of Syria changes colors with the speed of a strobe light, remember that the ink is always red. Whether it’s the black flag, the green flag, or whatever banner the SDF is currently folding up, the result is the same: a generation lost to the ego of men who believe that ruling over a pile of rubble is better than not ruling at all. I’d say I’m surprised, but that would require a level of optimism I haven’t possessed since the turn of the millennium. Instead, I’ll just watch the 'rollback' and wait for the next set of tyrants to declare 'Victory' over the ashes of the last ones. It’s the cycle of life, if life were written by a misanthropic god with a dark sense of humor.