Damascus was roiled at the end of last week by one of the largest protests in the capitol since the uprising began. Daniel Serwer is overjoyed:
Friday’s 41 peaceful demonstrations in Damascus, a few of them large, suggest that the opposition has wised up. Rather than a force-on-force confrontation they are bound to lose, the protesters spread out their efforts and kept them non-violent. Such coordinated risings in the capital are far more important for gaining adherents and defying the regime than killing a few soldiers or even Shabiha (non-uniformed regime goons) would be. It has forced the regime today to rush its security forces into the capital to squelch the defiance and re-establish fear. With any luck, they’ll find nothing to repress, as the protesters will hopefully be ready to ignite efforts elsewhere.
Maysaloon concurs:
The Damascus protests in Mazzeh yesterday were breathtaking to watch, and I know those streets like the back of my hand. The fact that a protest of this size managed to slip through the security net means that the minute Assad's control is weakened we can expect to see enormous crowds in Damascus again. That I feel certain of. Only months ago we saw this enormous Syrian flag festooned across that same thoroughfare by "supporters" of the regime. Yesterday was a different story.
Jack Goldstone isn't so sure. Nir Rosen goes in-depth on the sectarian background to the uprising. The Red Cross just announced an attempt to broker a ceasefire. And as Assad's international standing takes hit after hit, Syrians continue to undermine him at home – here's more footage from Damascus:
This is another one in Dara'a:
And this is what they're protesting against:
The Dish 