"...the fear factor has gone"

...

But the intensity and depth of the social uprising has exposed a major rift between state and society.

As more innocent blood is spilled, the divide deepens with devastating repercussions for social harmony and peace.

Even in Syria, which has one of the most repressive security apparatus in the Arab world, the fear factor has gone.


Tens of thousands of Syrians have challenged the authority of the Syrian government.

...

This is an internal crisis that pits the regime against critical social forces. A fierce battle of wills will determine the outcome of this structural crisis.

For now, the umbilical cord between the security apparatus and the political leadership has not been cut.
This is likely to allow President Assad to weather the storm in the short-term. But in the medium and long term, the uprising could take on a life of its own.

The more the killings and bloodshed, the more it will fuel further protests.

As more Alawites and other fence-sitters step forward to join the protesters, the security forces will think twice about firing on unarmed civilians.

...

Contrary to President Assad's assertions, this is not a foreign conspiracy.

It is an internal uprising that encompasses multiple segments of Syrian society - middle-class professionals, human rights activists, the disadvantaged poor who have been hurt by years of drought and unemployment, and members of the powerful Muslim Brotherhood.

They are disillusioned by the fact that, more than decade after he assumed power upon the death of his father, the younger President Assad has not carried out many promised reforms

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-13193210