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Source: http://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/fall-house-assad_609225.html
The Fall of the House of Assad
(Weekly Standard) Lee Smith - Bashar al-Assad is finished. The Syrian economy is in free fall. The last few weeks have seen more and more defections from the Syrian military and armed operations against security and military outposts. While Islamists are undoubtedly going to have a role in a post-Assad Syria, they are going to have a lot of competition. There are the military leaders, the Sunni merchant class, and the tribal leaders, who tend to take a dim view of Islamists or those absolutely devoted to a religious faith that specifically challenged the authority of the tribes. A recent report from the International Institute for Strategic Studies explains that the Free Syrian Army already has 17,000 men under arms, operating out of Turkey and Lebanon. The FSA will call for more defections as soon as the international community implements a no-fly zone.