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Tensions among Alawites Pose New Challenge for Assad
(Washington Post) Liz Sly - Rumblings of discontent within Syria's Alawite minority are presenting a new challenge to President Bashar al-Assad. A shootout between members of the extended Assad family in the president's ancestral home town of Qardaha late last month and the detention of a prominent Alawite activist by the regime offer hints of that unease. "The Alawites are critical for Assad's survival. He wouldn't survive a day without their complete support, so the fact that we are seeing tensions is significant," said Hilal Khashan, a professor of political science at the American University of Beirut. "Most Alawites are upset with the regime, and they feel Assad is dragging their sect into a conflict they can't eventually win."