The loss of its military power in Syria has led Russia to turn its sights on Libya. Could the fall of Bashar al-Assad in Syria see the strengthening of his Libyan counterpart, Khalifa Haftar?

Even with hopes running high, so much can go wrong when a country ousts a longtime dictator and tries to start anew

In fact, the scale of the challenge facing Syria is greater than that which confronted Libya in 2011. Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown after less than a year of conflict that cost thousands of lives. But on his death, much of the country’s infrastructure remained intact. Libyan rebels had exported oil even before his overthrow.

Russia has begun withdrawing a large amount of military equipment and troops from Syria following the ouster of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, according to two US officials and a western official familiar with the intelligence.

Russia is reportedly moving military equipment from Syria’s Tartus naval base and Khmeimim air base to eastern Libya after the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

History tells us that where a fragmented coalition of armed groups finds itself in a political vacuum, more violence is probably on the horizon.

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While the Russian military continues to withdraw equipment and troops from Syria, Israel has continued its air raids, intended to further degrade what is left of the former Syrian Armed Forces’ fighting capacity.

Russia appears to be scrambling to reinforce its bases in Libya as it faces being thrown out of Syria, its other foothold in the Mediterranean. Flight data show at least three Russian military ...

Russian military bases in Syria appear to be being packed up and evacuated. If Russia relocates to Libya, experts worry the shift could impact security in the Mediterranean and unbalance the frozen conflict there.

The country is deeply divided along religious and ethnic lines, which makes continuing violence one likely scenario.