Twilight for Assad?
Syria's strongman is in trouble, but Washington may not like the alternatives
Jouejati offers this lineup of the ostensible opposition: First, there is a smattering of liberal intellectuals who he says are "very, very weak." Second, there is the Reform Party of Syria, expatriates led by Farid Ghadry, a Syrian-American who met recently with a top White House official. "They have no credibility with Syrians," says Jouejati. Next is Rifaat Assad, the president's uncle who recently returned after years of exile. Blamed for the massacre of thousands of Sunnis in the Syrian city of Hama two decades ago, he is deeply unpopular. The two remaining forces: the banned Muslim Brotherhood, a well-organized hard-line Islamist party, and an even more radical al Qaeda-linked group called the Army of Greater Syria.
Perhaps the greatest threat to Assad comes from his own security forces. "The guys who would have a shot at doing this are going to be guys with guns," says Leverett. "It's not going to be some much more reformist, western-oriented, English-speaking type who's been trying to advise Bashar on economic reform."
With Julian E. Barnes
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