The state of affairs in Syria is alarming given the ongoing violence and the uncertainty facing the country. There is no question that the situation with Syria needs to be revisited and addressed as it seems that a civil war and total disintegration are becoming more evidently imminent.
Reports have surfaced of civilians being "summarily executed" by the regime's forces. This follows another incident a day earlier whereas these forces opened fire on a funeral procession killing 20 people. In addition, at least three people including a child have also been killed after Syrian troops opened fire on a refugee camp.
These are daily incidents of killings, abuses and violence. They are glaring examples of a complete disregard for human life. And it is also evidence that the regime is not interested in reaching a peaceful outcome. In his first interview of the year, President Bashar Al Assad stated that stories about acts carried out by the regime were "invented stories" and accused the West of releasing false information. "We cannot win this [information] war ... the main thing is to win in real life. The Syrian people are not scared of the threats of terrorists who have tried to wreck the elections or even prevent us from holding them," Al Assad said.
It seems though that the world Al Assad is talking about is imaginary, or worse, illusionary. How can elections be held and described as legitimate when a large part of the population is under attack? As a matter of fact, the staggering number of civilian deaths is not a piece of information but evidence of brutality. The recent comments once again reflect a state of mind and it is time that a new approach towards the crisis is sought and adopted.
