Resetting U.S. Policy on Syria

As the uprising in Syria continues to grow despite a brutal crackdown by the Assad regime, there are signs that the Obama Administration plans to switch gears. In his address on the Middle East on Thursday, President Obama issued his first public comments on Syria since the uprising began in March, condemning the massacre of peaceful protesters and calling on President Bashar al-Assad to either lead a transition of power or step down. Yet the notion that Assad could be a reformist and usher in a democratic transition, once a cherished assumption of engagement with the regime in Damascus, belies reality. On Friday, only a day after Obama's remarks, over twenty people were killed as thousands took to the streets throughout Syria, clearly demonstrating that the regime has no intention of ending its brutal repression. In fact, the Assad regime and its cronies have already signaled that this is an existential fight for survival.