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Source: http://nationalinterest.org/commentary/the-sunni-alawi-civil-war-5632
Syria: Past the Point of No Return
(National Interest) Paul Salem - After four months of repression, the protests in Syria are getting larger. The government is using about 50,000 Special Forces to combat the unrest, but every Friday many times that number are out on the streets. Although Damascus and Aleppo, the two largest cities, are still relatively calm, Hama, Homs and several other towns and areas are in near-open rebellion. The unrest has economic consequences that are pushing the Syrian state closer to collapse. Business and trade are down 50%, unemployment has doubled, food and electricity shortages are escalating, $20 billion has already left the country, and the government is printing money at a furious pace, which risks a rapid devaluation of the national currency.