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Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/31/opinion/31iht-edperthes31.html
Is Assad Capable of Reform?
(New York Times) Volker Perthes - Assad, in contrast to the image of him that some Western leaders have developed, is not a reformer. He can better be described as a modernizer. He gave Syria a more modern face and made some things work more efficiently, but he also made sure that the basic system - which relies on the heavy hand of the security services, on personal ties, and on a form of tolerated corruption that allows loyalists to enrich themselves - remained intact. The writer is director of SWP, the German Institute for International and Security Affairs.