The Arab League turns its back on Assad

Source: it.ibtimes.com

“If I were in his place I would resign”. King Abdallah of Giordania has commented with these words on the situation in which the Syrian president Bashr al Assad finds himself after the decision of the Arab League to suspend his country from the organization.

The Arab community, in the mean time, sees Syria as a rogue country and considers its regime as illegitimate. Moreover the Arab League is considering the possibility to initiate consultations with the Syrian opposition, in view of a political transition.

In other words the Arab countries have gone much further than Europe or the United States, treating the Syrian regime as if it had already ended.

            Assad is assisting the collapse of the regime he received as inheritance from the father, Hafez al Assad. The calm shown by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Walid al Muallem does not diminish in any way the gravity of the situation. Muallem realizes perfectly the dangerous isolation of Damascus, and also knows that the support of Russia is not sufficient to avoid the worst. The position of Moscow – which is shared by Beijing – offers only a brief respite, but will not prevent the fall of Assad.

In Damascus embarrassment reigns because the regime does not know how to move. Until now it has tried to buy time to try and understand whether it should delegitimize the organization (which it has already defined as the “Israeli League”), convoke an extraordinary Arab summit or welcome a delegation led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar, Hamad bin Jassim.

Without legitimacy

Bashar al Assad is the heir of the Pan-Arab Ba'athist regime created by his father, but now he sees his Arab legitimization refused. This leads the way to an internationalization of the crisis and risks putting Russia in a difficult position as well. If the Arabs, the western countries and the international organizations will unite their forces against the regime of Damascus, most probably Moscow will also have to change position.

            The republic founded by Hafez al Assad is dead. His heir will be swept away by the blood of the revolutionaries. One thing seams certain: Syria will no longer be governed by Bashar al Assad. There seems to be no other solution than the fall of the regime. As a start Assad could resign: maybe it is the only way he has left to save his life.