Editor,
Peaceful protests have been taking place in Syria against the dictatorship of Bashar al-Assad since Jan. 26.
In a manner not too different from the civil rights movement of the 1960s, Syrians took to the streets to peacefully call for an overhaul of their corrupt and murderous government. The response of president al-Assad has been the killing of more than 2,000 unarmed protesters at the hands of the army.
In my opinion, this situation can only end in one of two ways.
Ideally, the peaceful protests will force President al-Assad to give up power, and he will board a plane for a lifetime of exile after having plundered the treasury. If the first scenario does not occur, then the opposition may decide that taking up arms is the only way to bring about the change for which many have already died. Either way, President al-Assad must decide whether to leave or begin a long civil war.
The words of John F. Kennedy perhaps best describe the rapidly deteriorating situation in Syria today: “Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.”
Muhajir Romero
UNM student
