Since a protest movement brought about the fall of the Zein al-Din Ben Ali regime in Tunisia, expectations for a possible “domino effect” have spread all over the region Eventually, popular protests have become a daily reality for many regional leaders. While the relatively peaceful fall of the Hosni Mubarak regime in Egypt has furthered hopes, violent suppression of protests in countries such as Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Yemen have raised the doubts about the possibility of a bloodless transition to democracy. The foreign intervention against the Qaddafi regime and the ensuing armed conflict in Libya have further complicated the positions of opposition groups across the region, placing them in between domestic suppression, foreign intervention and
the prospect of civil war.
The Syrian Opposition in the Making: Capabilities and Limits
Syria became the latest Middle Eastern country to join the chain of protests sweeping across the Middle East. The protests have since spread to several other cities with varying frequency and numbers, and the violent handling of the protests by the Syrian regime has created a protest movement, which has brought forth an array of demands from political reform to the fall of the regime. Opposition in different forms has always existed in Syria and among the Syrian diaspora. However, legal restrictions on social and political activities and the long-lasting atmosphere of fear, perpetrated by the Ba’ath Party and pervasive intelligence services, have so far limited the opposition’s organizational capabilities. Despite difficulties and restrictions, the Syrian opposition is in the making. This paper presents a brief analysis of the opposition in Syria, surveys the opposition’s fight for survival under the Ba’ath regime, and assesses its current strength and weaknesses.
Although what makes people hit the streets is similar, the protests are still local in character and have yet to turn into a nationwide revolutionary movement.
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