(Washington Times) Farid Ghadry - Professor Jonathan Adelman of Denver University describes three ingredients as historically important for a revolution to begin. The intelligentsia must take a stand against the regime, the nation is in financial distress, and there is a breakdown of the elites. In Syria today, the elites are represented by the Allawite families who are the last wall of defense for Syrian leader Bashar Assad. Although Assad's fall would be problematic for their stature, blind support would be disastrous for the whole community. The majority of Allawites today suffer from the malaise gripping Syrians in general and want to see a democratic Syria emerge. Among the traditional Sunni-based business groups, we are watching, in slow motion, the peeling off of their backing of the Assad regime because of Syria's policies in Iraq that are hurting any prospect for a better economy. Syrians are ready for a revolution and democracy whether we like it or not. The writer is president of the Reform Party of Syria.
2005-06-02 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive