Not easy to overthrow Assad

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad promised once again in a speech on Monday that he would fight corruption and allow more democracy. Unimpressed, demonstrators continued to call for Assad's resignation. But much time will pass before President is overthrown, writes the conservative daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung: "If it's not easy to wrestle the internationally isolated Gaddafi to the ground, how much harder will it be with a regime that still has powerful friends in the region, for example the Islamic Republic of Iran, which is allied in a strategic alliance with Damascus against Israel and the West? Nevertheless, if it were possible to extract the regime in Damascus from the 'Shiite axis' stretching from the Lebanese Hezbollah to the Palestinians, that is if it were possible to loosen this compact front, it could open chances for new political movements and constellations. ... Assad also benefits from the fact that the demonstrations and unrest have still to reach Aleppo and Damascus, the two largest cities in the country. ... Many people sitting in Damascus have done well by the regime."

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