In war, moral power is to physical as three parts out of four, said Napoleon, and the past few days have seen a sudden and drastic shift in the balance of moral power in Syria.
The bomb that killed the three most senior members of the security establishment Wednesday last week may just have been a lucky fluke for the rebels, and the street fighting in Damascus may end with a (temporary) regime victory. But everything has changed in terms of expectations.
Until last week, the regime seemed secure in the short term, although potentially doomed in the long term. President Bashar Assad's army was well-armed and apparently loyal, and he still had the support of much of the population. The opposition was poorly armed and only loosely organized — Napoleon also said God is on the side with the best artillery.