The situation in Syria cannot continue. The besieged government in Damascus is escalating the war against its citizens, and they do not appear to be intimidated. Significantly, many of the regime's former friends have broken ranks and recognize it for the pariah state that it deserves to be called.
A few governments continue to support President Bashar Assad, but they cannot be said to represent the mainstream of thought in the Middle East. It is not clear whether Mr. Assad is capable of reforming his country politics, but he must stop pretending to embrace reform while sending in the troops to kill members of the opposition.
Syria has experienced protests since the beginning of this year, when a demonstrator set himself on fire, emulating the act that launched the movement that overthrew Tunisian autocrat Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.