Madina Newspaper A YEAR has passed since a spark ignited the Syrian revolution. The Syrian regime has reached a point of no return, the Syrian opposition has remained divided and the world has stood still while the Arab world remains undecided about what to do. This situation has made it difficult to predict how the Syrian crisis will end. The Syrian regime depends on some key factors established 40 years ago by the father of Bashar Al-Assad. One factor is fear. The regime is trying to make the Syrian people understand that it will do anything, including killing anyone who opposes it. This revives the story of atrocities committed by Bashar Al-Assad's father 30 years ago in Hama when he massacred people who rose in arms against his regime. The son is doing the same thing in Homs, Idlib and Hama. The second factor is Syria's constitution, which was amended by men loyal to the old regime. The constitution does not provide for a peaceful transfer of power by vote. Those who want change have to take the unconstitutional route, making them outlaws to be arrested, if not killed. The third factor is the interest groups that are benefitting from the regime. These groups, which amended the constitution in a way that would legalize the transfer of power to Bashar Al-Assad, have been lording it over others in Syria for the past 40 years. The fourth factor is the division of people into small groups which are suspicious of each other and feel comfortable and secure with the regime. The fifth factor is the alliance which Syria has forged with foreign powers like Iran, Russia, Turkey and Israel. Syria's strong alliance with Russia and China paid dividends when the two countries blocked a UN Security Council resolution calling on Al-Assad to step down so that violence would end. The Syrian people broke the barrier of fear in March last year and the emboldened members of the opposition even appeared on TV without covering their faces. Bashar Al-Assad's father-in-law, who has fled to Paris, recently came out with statements criticizing Al-Assad for killing the Syrian people. The division in the ranks of the opposition inside and outside Syria is one big reason why the Al-Assad regime has the temerity to continue its bloody crackdown. This division has also divided the world community on whether or not to intervene militarily. The recent resignation of Kamal Labwani from the opposition's working group highlighted this division. The question now arises: Is there any hope for a resolution to the Syrian crisis? The answer is yes, but it will take time. Meanwhile, the international community must continue to search for ways to protect the Syrian people. The Security Council should exert more pressure on the Syrian regime to stop the violence and to force Al-Assad to step down. To achieve the objectives of the Arab League and the world community, the Syrian opposition must unite; it should be armed and an international coalition should be formed to help the Syrian people. __
