The (Bashar Al-Assad) regime’s options are limited when it comes to dealing with the growing protests which are no longer confined to areas known to be opposed to it, such as Daraa and Deir al-Zour, but rather extended to areas which were either neutral (such as al-Suwayda) or which were the main strongholds of its support (such as the Sahel region, which includes Latakia and Tartous). What is more important is the establishment of a national consensus among Syrians on the necessity of the change and departure, as the current regime is being held responsible for the conditions of the country.
At the beginning of the revolution, the regime succeeded in deepening the divisions between Syrians on political and sectarian lines. But (now) the Syrians of all sects, segments, and regions have started seeing that the change is a necessity, and that their interest lies directly in it. They are united in poverty, hunger, and insecurity when the hypothesis was spread that the system was victorious, and that the situation was sustainable, without the need for a political solution, and without making concessions which the regime tried to avoid, because it sees in it its end.
There is still an urgent need to provide more representative models for the Syrian community in the opposition areas which have not yet provided an attractive alternative. There is also a need for dialogues aimed at restoring trust and harmony between all the spectrums of Syrian society, and for a political leadership which is open to all these spectrums.
[Arab Centre for Research and Policy Studies]