InfoAnda - Insight: Syria's Assad trusts inner circle in fight for survival |

Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case
Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They

Taiwan denies boycotting Australian film festival
Thursday, August 6, 2009

AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e

Merkel's support dips, regional ally resigns International
Thursday, September 3, 2009

By Sarah Marsh and Noah Barkin

BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German

Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who

Asian markets mixed after Wall Street rally
Wednesday, March 18, 2009

By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an

Ala. man dies when hit by train for second time | 5 September 2009
Pakistani stocks end lower; rupee firms | 1 October 2009
U.S. says Iran still supporting Iraq militants | International | | 10 February 2009

Netanyahu, Abbas trade barbs over Jerusalem | | 27 February 2012

Forum Views () Forum Replies ()

Read more with google mobile : Insight: Syria's Assad trusts inner circle in fight for survival |

Edition: U.S. Africa Arabic Argentina Brazil Canada China France Germany India Italy Japan Latin America Mexico Russia Spain United Kingdom Home Business Business Home Economy Technology Media Small Business Legal Deals Earnings Social Pulse Business Video The Freeland File Aerospace & Defense Markets Markets Home U.S. Markets European Markets Asian Markets Global Market Data Indices M&A Stocks Bonds Currencies Commodities Futures Funds peHUB World World Home U.S. Brazil China Euro Zone Japan Mexico Russia India Insight World Video Reuters Investigates Decoder Politics Politics Home Election 2012 Campaign Polling Tales from the Trail Political Punchlines Supreme Court Politics Video Tech Technology Home MediaFile Science Tech Video Tech Tonic Social Pulse Opinion Opinion Home Chrystia Freeland John Lloyd Felix Salmon Jack Shafer David Rohde Bernd Debusmann Nader Mousavizadeh Lucy P. Marcus David Cay Johnston Bethany McLean Anatole Kaletsky Edward Hadas Hugo Dixon Ian Bremmer Lawrence Summers Susan Glasser The Great Debate Steven Brill Jack & Suzy Welch Frederick Kempe Christopher Papagianis Mark Leonard Breakingviews Equities Credit Private Equity M&A Macro & Markets Politics Breakingviews Video Money Money Home Tax Break Lipper Awards 2012 Global Investing MuniLand Unstructured Finance Linda Stern Mark Miller John Wasik James Saft Analyst Research Alerts Watchlist Portfolio Stock Screener Fund Screener Personal Finance Video Money Clip Investing 201 Life Health Sports Olympics Arts Faithworld Business Traveler Entertainment Oddly Enough Lifestyle Video Pictures Pictures Home Reuters Photographers Full Focus Video Reuters TV Reuters News Article Comments (2) Full Focus Editor's choice A selection of our best photos from the past 24 hours. See more Images of June Follow Reuters Facebook Twitter RSS YouTube Read North Korean leader cements control over army 17 Jul 2012 Murder suspect kills self after stealing plane in Utah 17 Jul 2012 Facebook shares slide as user growth in question 17 Jul 2012 Suspect charged in Alabama bar shooting that wounded 17 | 17 Jul 2012 Bernanke offers gloomy view but few new hints on easing 17 Jul 2012 Discussed 119 Obama allies tell Romney to ”quit whining” about Bain attacks 97 Syria hit by diplomatic defection as U.N. battles divisions 86 World outrage at Syria ”massacre”, but no action Watched Taking to the streets against budget cuts in Spain Tue, Jul 17 2012 Girl caught after falling from third-story window Tue, Jul 17 2012 Mars landing not a crazy concept but risky: program director Mon, Jul 16 2012 Pictures Reuters Photojournalism Our day's top images, in-depth photo essays and offbeat slices of life. See the best of Reuters photography. See more | Photo caption Free Syrian Army A rare look inside the Syrian rebel army fighting to overthrow Assad. Slideshow Smithsonian: Shapes and shadows Artistic images of the Smithsonian Institution, the world's largest museum and research complex. Slideshow Insight: Syria's Assad trusts inner circle in fight for survival Tweet Share this Email Print Related News Syrian battles rage in capital, Russia pressed Tue, Jul 17 2012 Over 200 massacred in Syrian government forces attack: activists Thu, Jul 12 2012 Psychologically battered, Syrian soldiers abandon Assad Thu, Jul 12 2012 Syria hit by diplomatic defection Wed, Jul 11 2012 Annan says Iran must be player in Syria crisis talks Tue, Jul 10 2012 Analysis & Opinion A rare glimpse into the North Korean soul How should liberal democracies deal with China and Russia? Related Topics World » Syria » A handout photo distributed by Syrian News Agency (SANA) on July 3, 2012, shows Syria's President Bashar al-Assad during an interview with a Turkish newspaper in Damascus. Credit: Reuters/SANA/Handout By Samia Nakhoul BEIRUT | Wed Jul 18, 2012 3:44am EDT BEIRUT (Reuters) - As fighting rages in Damascus, and the Assad family that has ruled Syria for four decades struggles for its life against a growing rebellion, a picture is emerging of a tight inner group determined to fight its way out of the crisis, even as support for the government falls away. At its head is President Bashar al-Assad, who inherited power from his father in 2000 and who friend and opponent alike say appears increasingly detached from reality, convinced he is fighting a conspiracy against him and Syria. Around him is a tight circle of family and clan members, and a security establishment staffed mainly by adherents of the Alawite minority to which the Assads belong, a branch of Shi'ite Islam in a country that is three quarters Sunni. "Even those who love him feel he can no longer provide security," said Ayman Abdel-Nour, an adviser to Assad until 2007 and now an opposition figure. "They think he is useless and living in a cocoon." "He thinks of himself as God's messenger to rule Syria. He listens to the sycophants around him who tell him 'you are a gift from God'. He believes that he is right and that whoever contradicts him is a traitor. Many of his close friends and advisers have either left him or distanced themselves from him." In response, Assad has taken charge of a military crisis unit and takes all the daily decisions, from the deployment of army units to tasks assigned to the security services, as well as mobilization of the Alawite Shabbiha, the feared militia accused of a series of massacres in the past two months. "Bashar remains the centre. He is involved in the day-to-day details of managing the crisis," said a Lebanese politician close to the Syrian rulers. "He set up an elite unit led by him to manage the crisis daily." In this unit, intelligence chief Hisham Bekhtyar is responsible for security coordination, Dawoud Rajha is minister of defense, Assef Shawkat, the president's powerful brother-in-law, is deputy chief of staff of the armed forces. Alongside them are Ali Mamlouk, special adviser on security, Abdel-Fattah Qudsiyeh, head of military intelligence, and Mohammad Nassif Kheyrbek, a veteran operator from the era of Assad's father. "KILL OR BE KILLED" Maher al-Assad, the president's younger brother and Syria's second most powerful man, commands the main loyalist strike forces. "Maher is directly involved in the confrontation on the ground and is in direct contact with every one of them. He has direct military responsibilities," the Lebanese politician said. While there has been no shake-up in the leadership, its inner circle is beginning to realize it faces a serious crisis. "In the hierarchy of the authorities you don't see a noticeable change", he said. But "you hear more realistic language. The prestige and standing of the regime has been scratched". Abdel-Nour, the former Assad adviser, paints a darker picture of the inner circle. He stresses that there is nothing autonomous about the way government units operate, whether the shelling of opposition neighborhoods by Maher's armored columns or the killing of villagers by the Shabbiha militia. All units are under Bashar's command and many have family ties. Each region has its own Shabbiha leader and many of the central cities are led by Shabbiha men related to Assad. The 46-year-old Assad said last month that Syria was at war and ordered his government to spare no effort in pursuit of victory against rebels he has described as terrorists. Drawing parallels with his earlier profession as an eye surgeon, he said: "When a surgeon performs an operation to treat a wound do we say to him: 'Your hands are covered in blood'?" "Or do we thank him for saving the patient?" Some long-time observers of Syria's secretive politics believe Assad's attempt to keep tight control of his forces will not necessarily protect him from being toppled internally if it looks as though he cannot prevail militarily. Patrick Seale, biographer of Assad's father, Hafez al-Assad, said: "Assad is a front man for a big security establishment of 300,000 regular army. He has a small clique that supplies him with information. "They might still mount a coup against him and that remains his big threat." After 16 months, the conflict has reached the seat of Assad's power in Damascus. Government forces and opponents are fighting with the ferocity of those who know what awaits them if they lose. "There is war in Syria: either kill or be killed," said the pro-Syrian Lebanese politician. A Western diplomat added: "They are fighting like a pack of wolves." CIVIL WAR; PROXY WAR While facts on the ground often cannot be verified because independent media are largely excluded from Syria, the conflict is now seen by observers to have changed from an uprising in poor towns and villages to a civil war that has reached the streets of the capital. It has also become a proxy war between Russia and Shi'ite Muslim Iran, which back Assad, one side, and Sunni Muslim powerhouse Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar, which are arming and funding the Sunni rebels on the other. The rebels now include the Free Syrian Army, a group of army defectors joined by Sunni youths, al-Qaeda style Jihadists, the Muslim Brotherhood, and local pro-democracy Sunni liberals. Weapons are being smuggled across the borders from Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq and Jordan. "Syria ... is clearly right now a battleground for proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran, reflecting a centuries-old conflict between Shi'ite and Sunni powers," said Ayham Kamel of Political Risk consultancy Eurasia. While the rebels inside Syria are gaining ground, the Syrian political opposition in exile remains bogged down in factional divisions and is losing influence. The government is meanwhile losing its ability to spread fear. Defections of senior officers and officials have accelerated in recent weeks although the backbone of the military remains intact due to Alawite solidarity. "The Syrian regime is slowly and totally sinking. I don't know what the timeline will be. It is becoming difficult for the state to control the country. It is like a fire engine, they extinguish one fire and find that another fire has started in another place," said a senior Western diplomat. "The army is overstretched, the government is under sanctions and there is erosion of power," he added. GOVERNMENT CONTROL SLIPPING Many Sunni officers, police and security staff have either defected or are not reporting for duty. Those manning traffic and police checkpoints are mainly Alawites, who can be recognized by their accent, residents say. Responsibility for defending the Assads is falling on the mainly Alawite battalions led by Maher, Bashar's brother. In outlying cities and on the outskirts of the capital, residents say the only sign of any government presence is tanks and armored personnel carriers stationed on main roads. Traffic and ordinary police are nowhere to be seen. Residents stood in disbelief at the sight of rebels manning checkpoints, blocking streets and clashing with government troops in Damascus. "A few days ago, we would have said this was impossible. It is a dangerous indication," said a resident reached by telephone. Government forces are scared of entering some rebel areas and they use artillery and helicopters gunships to bomb rebel positions, Syrians reached by telephone say. Close watchers of Damascus say while the authorities' power has been eroding they doubt that a lightly armed rebels can defeat an army, backed with Russian-made tanks, armored personnel carriers and warplanes. "Bashar and his regime have been profoundly destabilized but there is some doubt whether he can be toppled by the rebels for all the following reasons: Russia's protection, a divided opposition and no appetite for military intervention," said Assad biographer Patrick Seale. But he added: "No regime can last forever ... I cannot see a peaceful settlement for the moment. I can see a bloody stalemate, more shooting, more killing. The situation is very bad, chaos and insecurity are everywhere. Kidnapping, killing and hostage-taking, ethnic-cleansing are rife," Seale said. He said Assad's officer corps would not give up on him unless they feel they will have a role in a post-Assad Syria. ZERO CHANCE Despite the carnage and the failure so far of international peace efforts, Western diplomats said a Libyan-style military intervention is off the table, because of geopolitical complications and fear of a regional conflagration. "Libya is different from Syria ... Russia (is) involved on the ground and backing Assad. Iran is providing a lot of financial and military help for the Assad regime," the Lebanese politician said. Russia and Iran, Abdel-Nour said, are not just supplying Assad with weapons. They are also providing equipment to intercept the communications of the Free Syrian Army. The focus of the United Sates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia is to try and entice senior officials and officers to split from the Assad circle to weaken his hold on power. "At some point, they will feel that there is no way out and they have to abandon the boat before it sinks," said the Western diplomat. Many observers say in the absence of outside military intervention, the conflict could slide into a full-scale civil war that would further weaken the Assads, bring in new players and force an internationally sponsored transfer of power. "The regime has not lost full control. We will transition into civil war. The opposition has become a lot more powerful and capable at the military and financial level with the help of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey," said Ayham Kamel of Eurasia. "Incrementally, the regime will become weaker," he said. "Change will come in two ways: either through a shift in the balance of power in the conflict, or though a prolonged civil war, or through a negotiated compromise and international transition plan sponsored by the US and Russia," he added. "Even if Bashar goes it doesn't mean that someone will take over," he added, suggesting that the country will collapse into sectarian anarchy. In the meantime, the authorities have upped their game, using tanks, artillery and helicopter gunships against rebels waging what they call "The Battle of Damascus". "The question Damascenes ask has changed from before," one resident said. "They no longer ask if the regime will fall but when? (Editing by Giles Elgood) World Syria Tweet this Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. For more information on our comment policy, see http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/09/27/toward-a-more-thoughtful-conversation-on-stories/ Comments (2) Fromkin wrote: Edition: U.S. Africa Arabic Argentina Brazil Canada China France Germany India Italy Japan Latin America Mexico Russia Spain United Kingdom Back to top Reuters.com Business Markets World Politics Technology Opinion Money Pictures Videos Site Index Legal Bankruptcy Law California Legal New York Legal Securities Law Support & Contact Support Corrections Connect with Reuters Twitter Facebook LinkedIn RSS Podcast Newsletters Mobile About Privacy Policy Terms of Use AdChoices Copyright Our Flagship financial information platform incorporating Reuters Insider An ultra-low latency infrastructure for electronic trading and data distribution A connected approach to governance, risk and compliance Our next generation legal research platform Our global tax workstation Thomsonreuters.com About Thomson Reuters Investor Relations Careers Contact Us Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests. NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.

Other News on Wednesday, 18 July 2012
Exclusive: Somali pirate kingpins enjoy impunity
Tunisian leader promises Ben Ali fair trial, safety |
Moroccan cleric indicted for editor's death edict |
U.N. expert says U.S. executions, due Wednesday, unconstitutional |
Iran offers to insure foreign ships to skirt EU ban |
Google unit says will avoid U.S. import ban on smartphones |
Facebook shares slide as user growth in question |
Yahoo Japan buys stake in cloud storage firm Basho |
Tom Cruise visits daughter after Holmes split |
Syrian battles rage in capital, Russia pressed |
North Korean leader cements control over army |
Congo unrest threatens push to curb conflict minerals trade |
Insight: Syria's Assad trusts inner circle in fight for survival |
Frenchman goes to China as witness in Bo case: Cambodia |
Romania president likely to be impeached: poll |
Australian woman wins multi-million Thalidomide payout from Diageo |
UAE's first nuclear plant gets construction permit |
China's Wen vows job creation as growth slows: paper |
Nuclear issue puts increasing pressure on Japan government |
Judge rejects secrecy bids in Apple vs. Samsung battle |
Visa, MC still face hurdles in China after WTO ruling |
Australia's Qantas Airways drops Blackberrys for iPhones |
Dell CEO upbeat on China despite slowdown |
Actor Christian Bale reflects on years as Dark Knight |
Tom Cruise visits daughter after Holmes split |
Paparazzo may face charges in Justin Bieber car chase |
Panetta hails F-35 jet as key for UK, U.S. |
Blast on Bulgaria bus carrying Israeli tourists, 3 dead |
Britain to set further Afghan troop drawdown at end 2012 |
Senate panel votes to renew Myanmar sanctions |
Hungary detains man, 97, accused of torturing Jews in war |
Mali asks Hague court to investigate rebel crimes |
Frenchman goes to China as witness in Bo case: Cambodia |
Russia clamps down on foreign-funded rights groups |
AT&T data fees to jump in new shared plan option |
Analysts see weak PC demand hurting Intel margins |
Analysts await new Yahoo CEO's strategy after dull results |
Investors cheer Check Point profit rise, buyback |
Rovi shares slump on profit warning |
Cogeco to pay $1.36 billion for Atlantic Broadband, shares dive |
Smartphones a brightspot amid Asian chipmaker gloom |
Halle Berry suffers minor head injury on Los Angeles set |
Sofia Vergara tops Forbes highest paid U.S. TV actresses |
UK exhibition stresses Shakespeare's relevance today |
A Minute With: Michael Caine revisiting Batman's Alfred |
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights

USD EUR - 1 year graph		BlogMeter 1.01