Damascus: On the surface all is calm in Syria, ruled by the same authoritarian party for half a century, despite the upheaval in several of its Arab neighbours.
But underneath the surface, ordinary Syrians are captivated by the tumult.
"People are afraid to express an opinion, but between themselves they're saying: ‘Mubarak be damned'," said a man waiting for a haircut at a Damascus barber.
"What are the authorities waiting for? Are they waiting for instability to hit Syria before they act? Open the country up," another man said.
Dissent neutralised
But there is no sign that the upheaval in Egypt will spark reform in Syria.
Syria's ruling hierarchy has moved swiftly to neutralise dissent since Tunisia's uprising last month which overthrew strongman Zine Al Abidine Bin Ali and inspired Egyptian protests against Mubarak's 30-year rule.
The government raised a key fuel subsidy and tightened internet controls, while a special court jailed a 69-year-old leftist for seven years last month for discussing alternatives to the Baath Party's monopoly on power.
Although Syria and Egypt have been at odds politically, backing different Palestinian and Lebanese factions, the two countries are ruled by emergency law and suffer an acute gap between rich and poor, widespread corruption and an official 10 per cent unemployment estimated independently at least double that.
Dustbowl
They have similar Gross Domestic Product per capita at around $2,500 (Dh9,181) and two great rivers. But water mismanagement has turned Syria's eastern region into a dustbowl. A lawyer educated in Europe said the upheaval in Tunisia and Egypt showed corruption was a difficult habit to stop.
But change is not fav-oured by all, with ordinary Syrians living in a complex society of myriad sects and ethnicities. Members of the professional class worry that shattering the current system could result in mob rule, due to low education standards and the erosion of the middle class in recent decades.
