Let’s get the following out of the way first: Assad is a brutal authoritarian and Syria is not a democracy. In particular, the shelling of Homs has been an outrage.
But. What proportion of the Syrian people are in favour of the uprising and support the rebel army? All of them? Most of them? Or just a few?
We now have the results of the referendum on Syria’s constitution. Of course, it will most probably have been gerrymandered. And the opposition refused to take part. But on a turnout of more than 50 per cent, 89.4 per cent voted ‘yes’ to the changes proposed by Assad. Is this wholly meaningless?
Are they fighting anywhere except Homs? It looks very peaceful in Damascus. In the country’s biggest city, Aleppo, back in the Autumn, an anti-Assad rally attracted 1,000 people. However, a subsequent pro-Assad Rally attracted more than one million. Is there fighting there now? I don’t think there is.
Are China and Russia right?
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