President al-Assad a comedian? Who knew?

Let’s talk Syria. It’s been in the news regularly, but what has summoned it to the forefront of the international consciousness once again?

Amidst almost unprecedented violence, Syria went into ‘voting’ on a referendum on a new constitution. This is a potentially very nasty piece of legislature that could ensure President Bashir al-Assad clinging onto power till at least 2028- a very long time indeed.

    “From Monday no one will be tortured in Syria. The state will guarantee personal freedom for its citizens and preserve their dignity and security. People's homes will be inviolable. Everyone will have the right to express opinions freely and openly, and the state will guarantee the freedom and independence of the press.”

-President al-Assad on reforms

This blogger is currently debating whether the Syrian President should try for a career in stand-up comedy; his statement certainly proving amusing, particularly as his tanks and soldiers continuing to wage war with “explosions and shooting reported from the east, west, north and south”. #TNREgirl seems to think that it sounds like far too many places; I’m actually tempted to agree.

The Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu brought up a very interesting point when he expressed doubt about the timing of the vote; “On one hand you say you are holding a referendum and on the other you are attacking with tank fire on civilian areas. You still think the people will go to a referendum the next day in the same city?”

Washington has gone on record to slam it as “laughable”, but the news of continued shelling in Homs is anything but. Conservative international estimates put the number of deaths at around 31, whilst Syrian activists say the toll is as high as 89. Regardless of the number, every life lost in Syria’s inexorable march to democracy is one too many.

The American Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, has said that concerted efforts are being made to “peel away support from President al-Assad”, and maintained that this was an illegitimate regime that is “going to fall”.

Many analysts, yours truly included, see the inability of the international community (read NATO et al.) to intervene in Syria (like Libya) as a reflection of the lack of a concerted ‘rebel alliance’ (Star Wars pun intended), or alternative government that could step into the certain power vacuum that would result from the removal of President al-Assad and his regime.

As Clinton put it, the current Syrian National Council simply is not the “united opposition” that could be found in Libya.

Rebels from the ‘Free Syrian Army’ are holding out in Baba Amr, yet another group that seeks to oust the embattled President.

The pressing question nobody seems to be able to answer remains; will these groups push their egos aside long enough to oust the President?

    “There's every possibility Syria could descend into civil war.”

- United States Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton