THEY SHOOT HORSES, DON'T THEY?:

Dancing with the Assads (Boston Globe, April 19, 2011)

Assad has been performing the same old pirouette for years — assuring US diplomats and legislators that he’s serious about opening up his corrupt police state, but somehow never actually doing it. The wave of popular protests rolling across the country makes it appear that Syrians have lost patience with the Assad regime before Washington did.

A growing toll of martyrs has led protesters to drop earlier calls for piecemeal reforms and to demand instead the fall of the regime. The rebellion only gathered force after Assad, instead of offering reforms in a much-anticipated speech last month, blamed the protests on “a big plot from outside’’ and evoked a conspiracy that serves “an Israeli agenda.’’

The recent WikiLeaks disclosure of modest US financial backing since 2005 for an opposition TV channel broadcasting into Syria only underlines how restrained Washington has been in challenging the Assad regime. The time has come be more demanding.

When even the Globe has had enough, you know dictators are on borrowed time.

Posted by oj at April 19, 2011 6:02 AM
Tweet   

Follow @brothersjudd