Things could go very wrong in Syria – they could also go very right. Let’s gift its people optimism | Nesrine Malik

Syria 's long revolution the death, torture, imprisonment and exile that Assad ’s crushing of it unleashed makes its successful end bittersweet.

The price was so high, which makes its spoils even more dear, the moment is also different in another way.

In those 14 years , other revolutions across the region either unravelled or resulted in retrenchment of dictatorial regimes.

The compass now should be with Syrians , whose joy and relief should not be immediately suffocated over concerns about what comes next.

Syrians ’ future shouldn’t be held hostage to previous disappointments, their unique revolution not flattened into a reading of what it augurs, says Nesrine Malik .