AP reports (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110414/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_syria) that Syrian Army troops have moved into the area of Banias, an act welcomed by the citizens as the Army was replacing the hated secret police units. Assad has also ordered the release of some of the protestors currently held in custody (however there is no statement of how many are to be released or how many are currently held - or on what charges). The question that comes to mind is this; Is Assad worried he will end up like Mubarak (who is now facing criminal charges in Egypt) or is this just eyewash to appease the dissidents so that the secret police can move back in after things have calmed down a bit?
Bashar is a complete bastard but seems to lack the decisive cruelty of his father. He is also rules right next door to Iraq, a land that recently executed their former dictator. There is significant cross-border traffic between the two countries and we must remember that Assad is a Baathist, a political movement with a long, bloody and hated record in both nations. Perhaps the Mad Optometrist sits uneasily upon his father's throne. I do dearly hope that the Mossad and CIA are both working the unrest in Syria to get rid of the Neo-Nazi thug that rules there, it would indeed be a happy day to see him overthrown a la Mubarak.
I admit that the internal politics of Syria are very murky to me, Joshua Landis has a blog that looks into the situation there at a higher level of detail than the MSM will ever deliver http://www.joshualandis.com/blog/ It seems that there is more than a little bit of a turf war going on among the power players in the governement as well as outside agents trying to start things. Be warned though, this is a University site and tends leftish (IMHO).
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