https://hotair.com/headlines/archives/2013/02/22/syria-is-disintegrating-and-the-west-needs-to-act/feed/HotAir is the leading conservative blog for breaking news and commentary covering the Biden administration, politics, media, culture, and current elections.en-usTue, 09 Jun 2026 03:54:35 -0400<![CDATA[Part of the reason for the West’s hesitancy is that, from the start of the uprising in 2011, Mr Assad has embraced a strategy of violence. By attacking the Arab spring with tanks and gunships, he turned peaceful demonstrators into armed militias. By shelling cities he uprooted his people. By getting his Alawite brethren to massacre the Sunni majority, he has drawn in jihadists and convinced Syrians from other sects to stick with him for fear that his own fall will lead to terrible vengeance. &#8230;]]>Fri, 22 Feb 2013 11:45:00 -0500<![CDATA[Erika Johnsen]]>https://hotair.com/headlines/2013/02/22/syria-is-disintegrating-and-the-west-needs-to-act-n100351