Syria's Sopranos
Hard men. We don't know with certainty what the future holds for this Syrian regime. Two years ago, in a climate of greater American confidence, when we had blown into Baghdad, the regime of Bashar Assad cowered in fear. Things are different now; it is unlikely that the Pax Americana would take on the burden of another ruined Arab society, poisoned by decades of tyranny. But Syrians can see clearly the harvest of this regime's terrible history. To their east, an Iraqi political experiment is struggling to take hold, and a population pressed by a brutal insurgency has given every indication of its desire for a constitutional political order of genuine pluralism and accountability. To their west, the Lebanese are hellbent on restoring the vibrancy of their country and resuming the life of a polity used to flair and freedom.
The Syrian autocracy, meanwhile, is dug in, inhabiting a "spider hole" of its own. Mehlis has given Syrians a chilling glimpse of their rulers, men bereft of all mercy. Once, there was a time when Syria's autocrats won allies through the myth of the stability they provided. We have seen the ways of this murderous stability. The society of nations must have its norms of decency. To these norms, the hard men in Damascus are utter strangers.
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