On July 12, the Syrian Revolution 2011 Facebook page conveyed this message: The international community has the opportunity now not only to speak but to take action. Otherwise, it will lose the Syrian people forever. This was only two days after the U.S. and French ambassadors to Syria, Robert Ford and Eric Chevalier, stood alongside tens of thousands of demonstrators in the city of Hama, in what is rightly perceived to be the first real Western gesture of support for the demonstrators, a gesture of greater import than sanctions. If there is a real desire to oust Syrian President Bashar Assad, the next step would be direct talks between the West and the Syrian opposition. It is clear to all that military intervention in Syria is not an option. But official backing for the Syrian opposition would serve both to isolate Assad and strengthen the opposition. The world understood this immediately with regard to Libya, which raises the question of whether the West really wants to see Assad fall. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in Istanbul on Saturday that no one can really affect the situation in Syria from the outside. But is that really true- During Clinton's visit, 300 Syrian dissidents met in Turkey to forge a plan for Assad's ouster. A similar meeting was scheduled to take place at the same time in Damascus, but that meeting was thwarted by the regime. It's hard to believe that if Clinton or one of her deputies had been present at the Istanbul gathering, it would have had no impact on events in Damascus. U.S. Ambassador to Syria Robert Ford has now become the regime's nemesis. In an interview with Foreign Policy magazine, he minced no words: I have seen no evidence yet in terms of hard changes on the ground that the Syrian government is willing to reform at anything like the speed demanded by the street protesters. If it doesnt start moving with far greater alacrity, the street will wash them away. So far, such statements are the furthest Washington is willing to go. The Syrian president has promised reforms at least three times since the unrest began on March 15. Both the international community and the Syrian street are aware that even if the president is sincere about reform, he still won't be able to make any changes due to opposition from within his own circle. The Syrian regime blames the uprising on foreign elements. The U.S. ambassador in Damascus and his French colleague are so far the most prominent foreign elements to get involved. There's a lot more Washington could do. Assad knows it, and so does U.S. President Barack Obama. In the meantime, one wonders if reality will force Assad to carry out reforms over his family's objections, and whether the West will forge contacts with the Syrian opposition to help accelerate his fall. In Syria, it is now hundreds of thousands of protesters who are flooding the streets, and Assad is feeling the heat. Does he want to initiate change in his country? Will he meet his people halfway? Is he able to do so? Is there enough time- It's safe to assume that Assad's time is running out. And what does the future hold for Syria? Only Allah knows ...
