The ouster of Sudanese strongman Omar al-Bashir by the country’s military yesterday following months of unrest has had a mixed reception in the Arab world, with assorted rulers shaking in their shoes. One leader in particular, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, will be watching closely how the transition of power pans out.

The junta said it has taken Bashir into custody, suspended the constitution and will run the country for a two-year transitional period with elections to follow.

Why it matters: In December, Bashir became the first Arab leader since the start of the Syrian conflict in 2011 to visit Damascus, where he met with Assad. The visit was widely seen as an overture that would likely pave the way after years in the wilderness for Syria’s eventual re-integration into the Arab world. Assad has been treated like a pariah and Syria was suspended from the Arab League in November 2011 in response to his government’s brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protests.

But it's become increasingly apparent, thanks in no small measure to Russia and Iran’s support, that the Assad regime is not falling anytime soon. Countries like Jordan, which is home to at least 1.4 million Syrian refugees and keen to repatriate them, have been quietly reaching out to Damascus. In December, the United Arab Emirates became the first of the Gulf countries that had shuttered their embassies in Syria to re-open. Bahrain followed suit the next day. Bashir was, at Russia’s prodding, angling to get Syria back into the Arab League and to attend its latest summit in Tunis last month, but ultimately failed.