We are fighting a regional and global war, so time is needed to win it. We are moving forward. The situation is practically better but it has not been decided yet. That takes time.Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad • Speaking on private television station Dunya Wednesday regarding the nature of the conflict in Syria — and alluding in the process to the struggles the Syrian army faces in trying to win against rebel cells. Assad also called defections a “self-cleansing” process, saying that. “Whoever flees is either weak or bad. A patriotic or a good person does not flee.”
From Mother Jones:
A 718-page digital document obtained by Mother Jones contains names, phone numbers, neighborhoods, and alleged activities of thousands of dissidents apparently targeted by the Syrian government. Three experts asked separately by Mother Jones to examine the document—essentially a massive spreadsheet, whose contents are in Arabic—say they believe that it is authentic. As Bashar Al-Assad’s military continues a deadly crackdown on dissent inside the country, the list appears to confirm in explicit detail the scale of the regime’s domestic surveillance and its methodical efforts to destroy widespread opposition.
“The way it’s organized looks similar to other documents I’ve seen,” said Syrian expert Andrew Tabler, a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. “It organizes people in such a way that it would allow the security services to be able to track them down.”
» Suspended and sanctioned? That’s the possibility facing Syria in the days to come. It was last Saturday that the Arab League voted to suspend Syria today if there was not a halt to the brutal violence and oppression by the government (Syria had already flagrantly ignored an agreement with the Arab League to facilitate this on November 3rd). Should the violent oppression not stop within three days, the price would be economic sanctions imposed by the League, which could have significant consequences for the Syrian citizenry as well.
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