The government of Syrian President Bashar Al Assad has to start planning how Syria can initiate a transition to a more inclusive government. This important test of Al Assad has been required of him by the Syrian people and is therefore also supported by the wider Arab region. The responsibility lies with the president to make the first moves, but so far he has totally failed his people. By continuing to describe the protesters as terrorists and criminals, and by regular weekly massacres of largely peaceful protesters, Al Assad has failed to offer the Syrian people what they need. They deserve better than Al Assad.
The opposition has not helped itself though its continued disorganisation and failure to come up with a clear vision of what it wants to do if it were to achieve power. In addition, it does not help that the disinterest of the wider global community has forced the Syrian opposition to rely for support on those that are willing to give it, like Saudi Arabia and Qatar. It will damage the opposition to be seen by the Syrian people to be in debt to non-Syrian players with strong regional interests.
It is depressing that Al Assad's government has survived so effectively till today, despite killing thousands of its own people. But now it faces the option of either a peaceful transition or a civil war. It has the two examples of other Arab states which went through their transitions last year: Egypt managed to get through without serious violence, while Libya endured a violent and chaotic civil war which has still not stopped.
It is incumbent on Al Assad to let Syria take the peaceful route, and he should take the initiative to persuade his generals and other senior figures in the establishment that their regime is coming to an end.
