islamist vs islamist
nobama, the Nobel Peace Prize Winner, must start bombing immediately! This calls for the WTF foreign policy.
The rulers of Syria are Alawite (~10% of the population), who are at best viewed as heretics by Muslims. Alawites celebrate Easter and Christmas. The revolt under way is just another in a long series of Sunni Islamist rebellions against Alawite rule. Assad's father, Hafiz, crushed a similar rebellion in the early 80's by leveling the rebel stronghold in Hama with field artillery, killing tens of thousands. Bashir would be wise to do the same - the alternative is for the Alawite community to suffer the kind of persecution Iraqi Christians are suffering at the hands of Sunni and Shiite alike. Unfortunately, the Middle East is a terrible place to be non-Muslim, meaning that where possible, Muslim minorities must do unto Muslims before Muslims do unto them.