Ever since Mrs. Bouthaina Shaaban appeared before the journalists during the first weeks of the Syrian revolution to announce a package of reforms and wage increases, as well as a wider package of promises, the regime in Damascus has been proceeding down that same path of talk leading to further talk. Anyone who can put two and two together knows that the regime is not going to introduce reforms that would change its security and familial nature and will not recant its bloody and oppressive methods in dealing with the demonstrators. The reasons for that are almost obvious, namely the fact that the regime has reached a certain level of calcification, rendering it aware of the fact that any serious reformatory step would directly mean the beginning of its collapse and crumbling, whether by lifting the security grip imposed on society or by ending the control of the family and its branches over the economy. This is without the demands or the proposed reforms reaching the level of individual and political freedoms, the amendment of the constitution, the separation of powers and the guaranteeing of the independence of the judiciary, and without them reaching the point of the discontinuation of the killing of the unarmed demonstrators, the raiding of the villages and the release of thousands of political detainees, most of whom are enduring the worst kind of torture. The reforms called for by the Arab plan which was carried by the committee assigned - during the last meeting of the Arab foreign ministers - to visit Syria will never see the light. There is no doubt about that. And what the authorities, which appeared “positive and friendly” during the meeting with the Arab delegation, will do, is carry out stalling and call “upon those who wish” to engage in the dialogue that will be staged under their auspices and will lead to nothing. Moreover, it will push society and its opposition forces to lose hope in seeing change and in the revolution altogether, through the intensification of the violence, the killings, the assassinations and the arrests. The regime rightfully expects the escalation of the violence it is exercising to provoke a similar reaction on the opposition's end, as the horrendous violations – many of which are not reaching the media or are not covered by Arab media outlets due to their dreadfulness and sensitivity – mainly aim at achieving that goal. They aim at accumulating the hatred and the aggravation to the point where the humiliated and the crushed can only restore their dignity through violence and killing. The simplicity of the plan which many supporters of the regime (especially among the non-Syrians) volunteered to explain and interpret while promoting its “security solution,” does not deny its efficiency. The armed clashes between the army and the security forces on one hand and the “dissidents” on the other are occurring on a quasi daily basis. For their part, the Arab ministers who visited Damascus knew these facts before their planes landed in the Syrian capital. Yet, they had to play that role for two reasons. Firstly, they had nothing to offer to the Syrian people, considering that the external circumstances for change were not yet ripe in light of the preoccupation of a number of influential states with their own concerns – or the lack of adequate alternatives for the current regime after the internal confrontation has reached a point of balance between two forces, each of which is proving every day its ability to stand fast in the face of the opponent. Secondly, the Arab ministers are forced to do something – even if is a useless step in form – to maintain the role, i.e. to defend the continuation of the joint Arab institutions and announce before the West (despite its hypocrisy) that the Arab countries and their bodies are monitoring and trying to handle the situation in Syria. As it is known by all, the Arab initiative cannot stop the bloodshed, let alone launch the wheel of purposeful reforms. However, it is necessary in the context of the Arab and international actions in form. As for the regime, with its “spontaneous” million-man loyalist demonstrations, it will only resolve the political conundrum towards which it has led Syria when it recognizes the widening and depth of the opposition represented by the youth on the streets and in the towns of Syria before any others.
