Things in Syria seem bleak. Each week brings another thousand or so deaths among the civilian population as a result of the brutal campaign by the Assad forces to stamp out the opposition. The UN has done nothing. The USA has done nothing. Lots of diplomats have been talking, but that is always what they do. The killing just gets worse. Nevertheless, lately there have been some signs that maybe we are getting close to the end game in Damascus.
1) A Syrian general and member of the inner circle of Assad has defected to the other side. According to reports, the general was angered when Assad forces shelled the village that is home to his extended family and clan with many casualties.
2) Syrian forces shelled Lebanon yesterday and killed three. Supposedly, the Syrians were trying to hit "rebels" who had fled across the border.
3) Turkish forces have been moved along the border and the Turkish airforce is scrambling fighter jets each time a Syrian helicopter comes close to the border. This is the result of the Syrians shooting down an unarmed Turkish plane over the Mediterranean Sea.
4) Russia, China and Iran are not at the latest world meeting about Syria. That means that Putin is no longer actively blocking other countries from actions against Syria even if he is not participating.
5) Iran is preoccupied with the new sanctions against oil sales. It does not have time to devote to saving its ally Assad.
6) Despite all the killing, the opposition to Assad shows no sign of going away.
So what does all this mean? Assad's regime is showing cracks with high level defections. Assad has alienated his neighbors. Assad is losing the overt support of his benefactors. Worst of all, Assad is being shown up as ineffectual, a fate which will lead still more Syrians to rise up against him.
Let's hope that the end game is quick and that Assad is gone from power soon. At that point, the Syrian people can deal with him as they see fit.
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