Embattled Syrian president Bashar Assad is a despot and a tyrant of the worst breed. He ranks right up there with the late Moammar Gaddafi of Libya and Egypt’s former autocrat Hosni Mubarak. Unlike his partners in tyranny, why hasn’t he been toppled?
The uprisings and overthrows of the“Arab Spring” that swept through Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya were not protracted affairs. The initial results were rather quick for such a historic affair: a massive popular movement overthrew established dictatorships in some countries and prompted political changes in others.
Yet when it comes to Syria, Assad still stands. Why is it that after a year of opposition movements, Syria’s vicious ruler still remains in power with no clear indication that his reign is limited? Why has the population protesting his failed and violent policies not ousted him yet? Is Assad a different, insurmountable beast?