Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
"The fear of civil war based on religious affiliation is the greatest … (protection) of au-
thoritarianism in Syria."
A "day of rage" called for by Syrian opposition members living abroad came and went. The
only mass presence detected on the streets being the security forces. On the other hand, the
sheer size of security presence suggests that the ruling regime had some concerns.
On that occasion, if only as a matter of selfpreservation, the Syrian people decided to stay at
home. Although it is distant in time, the Hama events of 1982 provide the regime's bench-
mark for dealing with serious social unrest. The security forces killed thousands when
crushing an uprising by the Muslim Brotherhood. Syrian Islamists are largely behind bars
or in exile, and liberal and democratic activists neutralised by surveillance and repression.
It is also relatively easy for a dictatorship to change direction with little critical comment.
In the days following the unrest in Tunisia and elsewhere, the Syrian government increased
a heating oil subsidy it had previously cut and announced a plan to help 420,000 impover-
ished families. These were followed by additional promises that would have the effect of
easing the weight of the jackboot that sits heavily on the neck of the people.
It is obvious that like all dictatorships, Syria's rulers are smart enough to know that you
have to deliver some benefits to the populace if you wish to remain in power, and it could
be expected that other reforms or further 'gestures' will follow as required to consolidate
power and mute any voices of dissent.
However, sometimes the gestures are too late and all it requires is a trigger.
On 18 March 2011, the local authorities in Deraa, a provincial Syrian city, arrested 15 chil-
dren for daubing anti-government slogans on walls. Locals campaigned against the deten-
tion and the authorities responded by opening fire on the demonstrators, killing over 60
people in the process.
In turn this unleashed a wave of anti-government protests across the country and security
forces were said to have opened fire in at least six locations around the country, including
Damascus and the main port of Latakia.
While Syrians waited for a response from President Assad who was expected to offer a fur-
ther range of concessions, the security forces continued their efforts to crush the unrest.
On 30 March the Syrian Government resigned but remains in caretaker mode until a new
government is appointed. President Assad continues in power, but for how long?
Assad gave a long anticipated speech to Parliament; however, the words disappointed those
looking for change and the protests, although sporadic continued across a greater number
of provincial towns and cities. In early April there were reports of the Syrian security forces
