Pro-regime and pro-rebel marches massed today in Syria to commemorate the one year anniversary of the beginning of the anti-Assad protest movement. Thousands of Assad supporters marched in Damascus to celebrate his continued rule.
The first protests started in the town of Daraa in mid-March of 2011, and violent moves against the protesters quickly swelled their numbers, eventually creating a major nationwide movement calling for reform.
The opposition looks quite different one year later, as peaceful protests have mostly been replaced with Western-backed armed factions and al-Qaeda fighters, loudly spurning UN efforts to negotiate a settlement.
Where things will go from here is anyone’s guess, but there seems to be at least some international support for a negotiated settlement, and the calls for invasion, once dominant on the international scene, at least now have a counterpoint.
"once dominant on the international scene, at least now have a counterpoint”.
Perhaps thats why Saudis and UAE including Kuwaitis closing their embassies in Syria as we speak. Is like a child who lost its lolly pup, cant find it blaming the other child, saying: I wont play with you any more you are not welcome to my house anymore, oh gully. They lost the bet that they made with Hillary Clinton when few weeks ago she said that: "Assad will go one way or the other, by its military or its people she meant”. They lost the bet on "their falsified democracy” and people of Syria won that bet on whatever they have knowing that is far better then what they (US, EU, Saudis and UAE, Kuwait is included) want to bring about into Syria.
Al Caeda’s support of foreign mercenary thugs blowing up Syria puts them with the US in the same camp. Are Osama Bin Laden and Obama Bin Laden on this together?
What a crazy world! Syria is the only Arab country today that is modern. Women have rights that are tangible. Syria women work, and many in positions of authority and responsiblity. All religions are free to practice its faith, and many ethnic groups have their cultural freedoms. Compare that with ANY Middle East country. Saudi Arabia and other monachies see that as a threat. Arab spring has unleashed forces in their societies that can only be kept down by extremen oppression. This is why they are DESPARATELY trying to turn Syria into another Sunni extremist country. Sunni extremism is at the core of Al-Qaeda. Now, we in the West would like to destroy Syrian government, and provoke inter-religious and inter-ethnic battles. But how is this of interest to US? US can and should extracate itself from the provincialism of Saudi and Israeli posturing in the Middle East. US is a power, and must see to it that global system of fairness prevails over avarice. If we act like bullies in the schoolyard, little chance we have of global leadership, no matter how powerfull.