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14 November 2012 By Tariq Alhomayed Like sand through an hourglass,
Bashar al-Assad and his regime are running out of
time. This is not just a wish on my part, but rather a
reality confirmed by statements issued by the regime,
and indeed Bashar al-Assad, himself. Most recently, we
have his interview with "Russia Today" in which al-Assad
said that he will "live and die" in Syria, and claimed
that his regime is the last stronghold of secularism
in the region, protecting minorities and coexistence!
To be certain, this statements serves as his farewell
address. Some might ask: how so? The answer is very simple: by looking at the recent
history of all the tyrants in our region, including
those who blinded themselves to the facts, like former
Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak; they all said that
they would live and die in their countries. Saddam
Hussein said this, and later Muammar Gaddafi. They all
said the same thing, demonstrating their incalculable
arrogance. As did Mubarak himself, demonstrating a
critical miscalculation and stubborn obstinacy. The
end is known, some of these tyrants were killed whilst
others ended up in prison, albeit the hospital wing.
Whilst today al-Assad has arrogantly made the same
mistake indicating that the man is completely detached
from reality, particularly when he said "I am not a
puppet. I was not made by the West to go to the West
or to any other country. I am Syrian, I was made in
Syria, I have to live in Syria and die in Syria." It
is clear that al-Assad has forgotten that it is the
Syrian people who are seeking to oust him from power;
how can he expect to live and rule in a country where
even districts of the capital are being bombarded by
warplanes? Certainly, this is the talk of a man who is
completely out of touch from reality, which indicates
that his end is fast approaching. In fact, it is those
who surround al-Assad who are most convinced of this,
especially when they hear him making statements such
as this. Those close to him are well aware of the
reality of the situation, and these statements only
serve to further convince them that al-Assad is
leading a suicide operation that will ultimately kill
them all. As for al-Assad's claims of secularism, saying "we
are the last stronghold of secularism and stability in
the region and coexistence", warning that any military
attack on Syria "will have a domino effect that will
affect the world from the Atlantic to the Pacific and
you know the implication on the rest of the world",
this is further evidence that this regime is over and
bankrupt. The first observation that we can make is
that al-Assad is no longer seeking to play up his
legitimacy – or the legitimacy of his regime – in
terms of the "resistance", rather he has resorted to
raising the slogans of protecting the minorities and
secularism. This is a further miscalculation, as al-Assad
– and those around him – seems to have forgotten that
not only was Hitler secular, but he also came to power
by democratic elections! The al-Assad regime
represents the worst example in our region in terms of
regimes that claim to be secular, not to mention those
that pay lip service to protecting minorities. Saddam
Hussein was secular, as was Gaddafi, but like al-Assad
they were bloodthirsty. As for the Islamists who want
to claim that al-Assad is their regional enemy, in
reality they have been his primary allies. Some of
them remain his allies today, whilst others were
allied to him just hours ago! Islamist Iran is al-Assad's
unerring ally, as his Hezbollah and the Shiite
Islamist parties of Iraq, whilst Hamas and other
Palestinian jihadist groups were allied with him until
very recently, as were the Muslim Brotherhood. As for
Al Qaeda, al-Assad is their biggest investor,
particularly in Iraq! Therefore, al-Assad's recent statements tell us
that this regime is bankrupt even of arguments, and
its end is just around the corner
Tariq Alhomayed is the Editor-in-Chief of Asharq
Al-Awsat, the youngest person to be appointed that
position. He holds a BA degree in Media studies from
King Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah, and has also
completed his Introductory courses towards a Master's
degree from George Washington University in Washington
D.C. He is based in London. |