Could Syria Become Like Somalia?

Without Negotiations, Syria Will Be The New Somalia, UN Envoy Says -- The Guardian

Even Russia, Bashar al-Assad's biggest ally, is coming round to idea of talks as Syrian rebels continue to gain ground.

A diplomatic solution to the conflict in Syria seemed as far away as ever on Saturday, as the UN-Arab League envoy to Damascus, Lakhdar Brahimi, said the country risked slithering into "hell".

Following talks in Moscow with Russia's foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, Brahimi said there was no alternative to negotiations. The country faced two stark choices, he said – a serious, Syrian-led political dialogue between the rebels and the regime, or what he darkly called "Somali-isation".

Brahimi – who held talks on Monday in Damascus with Syria's defiant president, Bashar al-Assad – said stopping the bloody civil war in 2013 was indispensable. But, he conceded, the obstacles to peace were enormous.

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My Comment: The fact that Assad is even entertaining the idea of having talks tells me that he knows that his rule is slipping. Unfortunately for him .... the rebels know that the momentum is on their side, and that it will only be a matter of time before he is driven out of Damascus. As for Syria becoming the "new Somalia" .... I doubt it. Its tribal make up is not the same as that of Somalia .... but a sectarian conflict .... that's now becoming a given in present day war-torn Syria..