It's not surprising that Bashar al Assad appeared a little smug when he announced victory over rebels in Aleppo.
But he is misguided. His dynasty has seldom looked weaker.
Syria's president and the cabal that surrounds him are now entirely dependent on foreigners for their survival.
The revolution against his rule is far from over, which means he will continue to rely on unreliable allies.
Top of the list is Russia.
Vladimir Putin intervened in Syria to protect his warm water port in Tartus but also to send a signal to other autocrats, especially in Asia, that if you're a Russian friend now Moscow won't abandon you in the face of democratic uprising.
Russia's air power has proved devastating to the rebellion.
Combined with a profligate disregard for civilian casualties in cities like Idlib and Aleppo, the rebels have been driven back into two separate main areas in the north and far south of the country.
On the ground Syrian government forces have weakened and evaporated.
Even the famed Shabiha (ghost) militia has faded away. So infantry and artillery have poured in from Hezbollah in south Lebanon, Iraqi Hezbollah, Shia fighters (often press ganged) from Iran alongside the Revolutionary Guards and even volunteers from Afghanistan.
Without them, the so-called "liberation" of Aleppo would have been impossible.
On top of that, even Assad's supporters must acknowledge that he simply does not have support from most Syrians.
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