History is accelerating in Syria, but in which direction? The assassination of heads of the security and military apparatus last week was a serious setback for the Syrian regime. It came at a crucial moment, as elements of the Free Syrian Army were struggling to put the regime under pressure in its Damascus stronghold. Morale was boosted in the anti-regime camp, and other groups joined the battle, freeing different cities and border points.
But the regular army is still strong, as well as the militias (known as shabiha) committed to President Bashar al-Assad’s power system. Questions now arise, though, about the final fate of this struggle, even if evidence on the ground shows that both sides want to fight to the end. Will the army continue to follow Assad, his brother Maher and cousins Hafez and Rami Makhlouf – the real people heading the fight, not those killed in the bomb attack on the security headquarters? Or could a ceasefire be brokered, with or without the help of the international observers, between the regular and the “free” armies?
