Assad dictatorship no longer acceptable to NATO

Assad dictatorship no longer acceptable to NATO: Syria's Arab Spring civil war began as another round in a long struggle between the 10 percent and the 90 percent — the 10 percent loyal to the Alawite dictatorship of the Assad clan versus everyone else. The civil war has now expanded into a twilight regional war between Iran and NA..


Clipped from article:
Bashir al-Assad's forces have been more restrained. 2011's digital communications provide real-time pictures of murder. NATO's Libyan intervention reminds Assad that he could also face overt international action if he threatens mass reprisals. So his regime, supported by Iranian intelligence and special forces, has fought a slow war of repression, a cruel endurance contest with its own people, killing some 2,700 civilians since the rebellion erupted in February.
The regime, however, is faltering. The mosaic contains too many enemies. Iran has noticed. Earlier this month, Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told Assad to end his violent crackdown.
Iran wants to buy time, hoping Assad and his killers will endure. This would be an optimal outcome for Iran's Islamic revolutionaries. Assad's Syria provides Iran with a forward base in its proxy war against Israel, supporting Hezbollah and other terrorist organizations.
The Assad dictatorship, however, is no longer acceptable to NATO. U.S. President Barack Obama made that clear last month when he said, "For the sake of the Syrian people, the time has come for President (Bashir) Assad to step aside."
Iran could live with an Assad replacement who would continue to support its proxies. Exiling Assad might make room for an alternative Alawite dictator, a man with a different face, but there is no guaranty that a new Alawite face will halt the rebellion. The Libyan rebels ouster of dictator Muammar Gadhafi has encouraged Syrians. For that matter, it has encouraged Iranian dissidents — which is another reason Tehran's dictators want the Assad regime to prevail.



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