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Syrians Must Win the Revolution on their Own

(Foreign Policy) Joshua Landis - The U.S. should not try to hit the fast-forward button on the process of revolutionary change overtaking Syria. Building national unity is a long and painful process. It cannot be given as a gift. Syrians must win their own revolution. The Syrian opposition's lack of leaders has many U.S. policymakers scared. They don't want to bring down the regime before there is some structure or leadership to take its place. Iraq is fresh in everyone's minds, not least for American policy planners. The quick toppling of the Iraqi regime brought militias and civil war. Before Syrian businessmen will help overthrow the Assads, they need a safe alternative. They are not going to embrace - not to mention fund - a leaderless bunch of young activists who want to smash everything that smells of Baathist privilege, corruption, and cronyism. After all, who are the CEOs of Syria's crony capitalism if not the business elites of Aleppo and Damascus? The writer is director of the Center for Middle East Studies and associate professor at the University of Oklahoma.
2011-08-10 00:00:00
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