The Reform Party of Syria, the good guys in that sad corner of the world, reported a few minutes ago that a wave of arrests is going on in the country’s major cities. It seems a large number of military officers have been rounded up, along with the usual civilian suspects. RPS stresses that the targets do not seem to be Islamists (read: Muslim Brotherhood). It’s apparently a serious matter since tanks and armored personnel carriers were deployed in Aleppo, Hama, Idlib and Deir el-Zour. As RPS points out,
Baschar al-Assad has traveled outside Syria in the last few weeks after refusing to leave the country for at least six months for fear that in his absence someone will mount a coup. Given how extensive the raids of last week were, Assad without a doubt will re-assess his military by ordering a clamp down that will inevitably hurt the morale of his generals and army officers.
Machiavelli reminds us that tyranny is the most unstable form of government, and the Mideast is a dangerous place for them these days. Despite the often feckless performance of our leaders, there are many revolutionary forces at work.