Late Monday, the Syrian National Council (a lead opposition group) called for foreign intervention even though they previously had rejected any non-Arab intervention. Paul Mutter tries to make sense of the muddle:
[Spokesman Samir] Nashar, and the Council, may be hedging their bets at this stage. Even if a Turkish or Arab League military mission (the latter would ostensibly be "permitted" by the Syrian opposition) materialized to oppose Assad, the U.S. would be involved. And unless the Syrian military decides to stand down as the Egyptian and Tunisian armed forces did last winter (thus helping force Ben Ali and Mubarak out of office), it is unlikely Assad will find himself adrift within his own inner circle. A violent end, or sufficient threat of one, would really be the only option available to the opposition to secure victory over the regime.
Blogger "frustratedsyrian" reflects on the SNC's role in the uprising:
It seems to me they dont even know what they are; last month the head of the counsel [sic] state that when they will be in charge they will stop relations with Iran and they will not support hizbullah, have they forget that they are merely a transition counsel, their job is to make the transition from dictatorship to democratically representative system, they cannot decide on direction of the country or any strategic decisions. They are boxing themselves and limiting options of Syria for no apparent benefit, except trying to please the west by giving such statements.
The Free Syrian Army isn't waiting for external intervention; they're threatening to significantly escalate if the Arab League monitors don't get start making progress on ending the crackdown. With respect to violence, Michael Weiss has a new analysis of the recent suicide bombings that suggests the regime is the likely culprit. Michael Totten follows up. Below, a man bravely shows his amputated leg (cut off without anaesthesia while being treated for gunshot wounds in one of Assad's "hospitals") and other torture wounds to a monitor:
Here's a protest in Damascus' "Freedom Square:"
And here are some military thugs beating up detainees:
The Dish 