Assad's last hurrah: as he hits Libya-level crisis we look at the parallels
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Play Image 1 of 8: The high-ranking defections in both countries signaled the beginning of the end. For Syria they happened a little later than in Libya but as the Syrian generals keep popping up in Turkey to tell their side of the story, you might wonder who is left to lead the regime troops. Syrian defector, Manaf Tlas (left) and the Libyan Mousa Kousa (right).
Pause Play Image 1 of 8: The inner sanctum is hit: a sure sign in Libya of Gaddafi's imminent demise was the death of his son, Khamis in a bold move by rebels. Assad suffered a similar loss when rebels went straight for his inner circles and bombed Damascus two weeks ago. His brother-in-law and confidante, Assef Shawkat, was among the victims.
Pause Play Image 1 of 8: The battle for the second city: In Libya the takeover of Benghazi by rebel forces was key to overthrowing the regime once and for all. The FSA has fought bitterly for northern capital, Aleppo, for almost a week and reports now indicate they control over half of this territory.
Pause Play Image 1 of 8: Where is Assad? The public appearance of both ex-Libyan leader and current Syrian president have followed a very similar pattern. As the fighting intensified both have gone into hiding. While Gaddafi issued more and more bizarre audio messages from his secret location, Assad's last official speech was June 2.
Pause Play Image 1 of 8: The state media crumbles: In Libya we saw news anchor, Hala Musrati, a tireless supporter of the regime, finally crack just before Gaddafi was overthrown. In Syria, the pro-regime TV station, Al Dunya, has started to show signs of decay as presenters report "all calm" while bullets clearly rattle in the background.
Pause Play Image 1 of 8: Will they kill him? With Gaddafi long dead, the signs are not good for Assad as rebels warn of Alawi reprisals as soon as the regime is overthrown. If he faces a fate similar to the Libyan dictator then it will be a vicious and brutal end, fitting perhaps given the regime's unmitigated behavior towards the rebels.
Pause Play Image 1 of 8: To intervene or not to intervene: Foreign intervention shows the biggest disparity between the two countries as there have been no signs of a NATO-style invasion for Syria. Although scrape the surface, and could the covert Saudi weapons aid have the same effect?
Pause Play Image 1 of 8: Back from the dead: Should Syria's Lion end up dead at the hands of his people or sentenced a la Mubarak style, would he gain the martyrdom that Gaddafi finally came to assume -- having a voice beyond the grave? Larger than (dictator's) life?
I am personally convinced that the simiralities between the two is the unrelenting Western Media propaganda, which has surprisingly shifted from professionalism to extreme biase. This is very shameful to say the list. But it is going on.
History and posterity will judge hashly the current media for the crimes it has perpetuated against the truth. But like in all situations, a much fairer media, based on true principles of truth and justice and the values of common good will evolve.
Paul
