The Syrian crisis is approaching its seventh year without any solution in sight, despite the efforts exerted by the UN. There is not even a basic agreement between the warring factions. And the humanitarian situation is only deteriorating day by day, bringing shame to the entire international community. Had there been a strong will to end the crisis, a solution would have been found by now. The Syrian opposition has also met in Riyadh, but has drawn a blank, with everyone holding differing views. The crux of the issue is the future of Bashar Assad in Syria. With Bashar being the very source of the problem, one would have thought there would be agreement in this regard among all the opposition factions. Bashar has shed the blood of the Syrian people in his quest to cling on to power. He and his family should thus have no role to play in the country's future. Or else, it would be akin to rewarding a tyrant for his murderous ways. In his latest speech, Bashar has said that the country has lost the best of its young people during the years of war. He admitted that the country's infrastructure has been severely affected. In the same breath, he also said that a harmonious and healthy society has now been created in the country. Now, where is this healthy society that he speaks of? Is there any semblance of any kind of society in Syria these days? The civil war has led to 500,000 deaths and millions of displaced Syrians inside and outside the country. His reasoning simply does not make sense and is reflective of a man without any vision for the country's future. The Syrian opposition needs to be blamed for being a party of sorts to the crisis. Its divided stand on the sorry situation in the country is only perpetuating the problem. It is under pressure to make some contribution towards finding a solution. But so far nothing has worked – unfortunate indeed.
