SYRIA: Out of fear and for personal gain, some still cling to regime

As some Syrians disseminate what they say is video of uprisings and state brutality in the face of the ongoing protests, others show a continued loyalty to the regime led by President Bashar Assad.

Some Western diplomats in Damascus say they sometimes have difficulty explaining how Assad retains popularity among some groups, popularity that was more widespread before protests began.

"Syria has a similar demographic to Egypt, with a young population," said one diplomat. "But they have a relatively young president in whom they had a lot of hope for reform, though his reputation is greatly tarnished now. Many people, even without high expectations of reform, still value the secular nature of society, and in recent years, if you were a middle-class person, you have seen life improve."

The middle classes are the bedrock of Assad's support now, and as turmoil roils in Dara and in rural and suburban areas, the biggest cities of Damascus and Aleppo, which have gotten richer under the economic policies of the last decade, have remained relatively quiet.

Living under heavy surveillance, people do not easily share criticism of the authorities in public. "We in the cities don't have a problem [with the regime] because we understand that democracy and freedom mean chaos," one shop owner in Aleppo said.

He equated freedom with anarchy, with uncontrolled building on Syria's ancient citadels or driving through red lights.

"Or would we want democracy, like in Europe, where everything is corruption," he went on. "We would like freedom and democracy, but in the Arab mentality, you must have discipline first."

The president's cult of personality -- his picture is everywhere, in a variety of costumes and poses -- is augmented by personal visits. Dozens of shopkeepers, restaurant owners and gallery-owners say they have been visited by Assad and his wife, Asma, and are full of praise for their light personal security detail, their charming comments and willingness to buy things.

The threat of sectarian violence is seen as another reason for standing with a regime that is nominally secular, despite resentment over corruption and violence among the elites and security forces belonging to the president's minority Alawite Muslim sect, an offshoot of Shiite Islam.

Diplomats say that many leaders of the Christian community, who make up 10% of the population, are still supportive of the regime, fearful of the power Islamic parties could wield if the president fell.

In an Armenian cathedral in Aleppo, as Mass choruses floated out across the churchyard one Sunday morning, a middle-aged woman said that she goes out in the city unveiled, dressed as she chooses. Even among the Muslims, she said, some cover their faces, but others wear bright headscarves and make-up. Without the president, she feared such choices would disappear, she said.

Even among the young liberals -- the educated people who speak English, have foreign friends and are more aware of the freedoms of the world outside Syria -- there are staunch supporters of the government.

One man in his 30s, who works in the creative arts in Damascus, said that all his friends are against the government, although most are too afraid of the consequences to go to protests. But he said he is passionately pro-regime.

"As a student, I was totally into anger toward the government as an oppositionist," he said.

The autocracy and inefficient, corrupt bureaucracy of the country used to make him angry, he said, but "is it true if we change our government, these problems will disappear? ... I  think that the Egyptian people went from blindness to stupidity -- they imagined that by kicking the president away they can have a new country that fulfills their needs and demands."

The gulf between opposition movements and urban people, particularly in Damascus, has precedent, said Sadiq Azm, a Syrian philosopher living in Beirut. He recalled the 1982 massacre in the city of Hama after an uprising by Sunni Muslims, which enjoyed little support from Damascus residents.

"At the time of the siege of Hama, Damascene merchants got a lot of concessions from [then-leader] Hafez Assad," he said, adding that the city was still built on fear and that he felt that people there would erupt one day.

"The fruit in Damascus is not ripe yet," he said, "but when it falls, it will really tip the balance."

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 -- A special correspondent in Damascus

Video: Protesters take to the streets of the Damascus suburb of Zamalka on Tuesday night in the latest in a series of rallies against the rule of Bashar Assad. Credit: YouTube

Comments

[QuietGargoyle]

A few years ago, nobody was predicting that members of the 'Arab Street' would risk their lives for western-style freedoms. It seems that 'everyone' assumed that they were either fanatical religious extremists or complacent and apolitical.

How wrong 'everyone' was!

What it has taken is the bravery of a few and the unmasking of the viciousness of the various regimes to crack the carapace of fear that covers people's true feelings. Ubiquitous social media has made the difference: the Middle East is experiencing the power of cellphone video!

The nervous calculation that keeps many people still indoors is precisely fear. What if it fails, one asks, how can I risk losing my family, my employment, etc if I participate in what is clearly an insurrection?

It is ironic that the Syrian regime is making King George's British look like amateurs (with all due respect to Mel Gibson's take on them). Should anyone doubt that Syrians need extraordinary bravery to oppose their regime in the manner that they are?

And yet these ordinary people are not asking for more than basic freedoms! Effectively, "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness". Those demands are what were brutally crushed, and have turned protest into revolt.

All true Americans should feel kinship with these brave Syrians!

[nino]

i know lots of syrian people who still love assad and willing to do anything for him not out of fear nor because they have anything to gain .
so try to balance your topics .. it is called "journalism "

[Ahmed binabad]

It is of importance to understand the minority sect that forms the spine of the Syrian regime the Alawites. They are an offshoot of Shiasm, while Shieites assign high status for Ali, nephew of Mohammed, Alawites believes Ali is God's incarnation. This belief made its adherents more inclined to form a large personality cult that worship -for lack of a better term - the authoritarian figure, president Bashar Assad. Alawites have originally emerged from rural communities of limited means. Alawites rise to power - with coupe of father al-Assad- brought about a great deal of prosperity and gain. Although they were always aware that they need to appease the majority Sunnies -particularly middle class and businessmen- and acquire their allegiance, they exercised a strict monopoly on politics.
One worthy note to add, the Syrian regime is a shore-less ocean of deception and manipulation, they engaged American cowboyness in Iraq and won over it. They will cling to power even if they have to sacrifice all their people,,, and thats not a figure of speech.

[Jehudah Ben-Israel]

The slaughter of the civilian population in Syria goes on, yet the world, by and large, and first and foremost the Obama White House, is silent.

One wonders, why...??!!

[Tom Mariner]

We're surprised by "Out of fear and for personal gain, some still cling to regime"? Every leader and the supporters want to keep that power forever and will kill whoever gets in their way -- every. In America for 200 years we have had a document, the Constitution, that limits what governments can do to us and limits how long they can have that power before having to appeal to the people once more.

How do you think the present leaders in Syria have clung to power for two generations under brutal and despotic rule? Unfortunately, under the guise of accomplishing for the greater good, our governing document is under attack as never before in peace time. That's not a political statement, just a factual observation. And understand it is for the same desires as in Syria -- if you're strong enough to get the top jobs, you feel nobody else can do it better and they ought to be stopped from trying.

Those guys 200 years ago knew the evil that was inside them, us, and Bashar Assad and that limited power LENT to those who want it forever is the key to the amazing prosperity for our people. And can be for our Syrian brothers and sisters if another group who feels they have THE answer doesn't roll in to once again steal their freedom.

[Joseph]

Like others in the region, Assad has proven to live up to the reputation of a corrupt, brutal dictator. In due time his day will come. The Arab youth are indeed the future. Any nation that does not recognize that is simply not in touch with reality.