Is Syrian Strongman Assad Playing For Time?

President Bashar al-Assad with leaders of the army at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Damascus Photo: Reuters

President In Name Only, Assad Plays For Time -- The Telegraph

By ceding large parts of Syria, the tyrant has effectively admitted that he cannot win.

From street protests to insurgency to national insurrection. The remorseless escalation of Syria’s conflict since it first broke out 16 months ago is the most striking feature of the challenge to President Bashar al-Assad’s rule.

Repression has bred resistance, and vice versa, to the point where the country’s biggest cities are becoming battlefields. Aleppo is dominated by the magnificent gatehouse of its Citadel, providing visual proof that possession of this ancient city has decided the fate of kings for centuries. So it is with Mr Assad today: his actions betray a grim awareness that the struggle for Aleppo is central to his regime’s survival. He has been willing to strip neighbouring provinces of troops and tanks in order to mobilise forces for this battle, even though this effectively means turning over large areas of his country to de facto rebel control.

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My Comment: With Syria's civil war escalating every month .... he must now know that this is a losing proposition for him. He may have the soldiers and weaponry behind him, but in a war of attrition where his armed opponents comprise approximately 80% of the population .... it will only be a matter of time before his military advantages will start to degrade and crumble.