Syria is Going to Hell

As if Syria’s problems weren’t already ghastly enough, the movement against the Assad regime is turning into an armed insurrection and deadly sectarian clashes are breaking out between Sunnis and Alawites.

Assad can count on at least some support from Syrian citizens for one simple reason: they are afraid of each other. They know better than anyone how easily the country could Lebanonize or Iraqify.

All of us in the West should hope to see a new government there, but none of us should expect the aftermath to be pretty. It almost certainly won’t be.