The Syrian Alawites and Negotiated Departure for al Assad

Syrian President Bashar al Assad reiterated in an interview published Sept. 21 in Egyptian weekly magazine al-Ahram al-Arabi that the rebels seeking the collapse of his regime will not succeed. He added, however, that the door to dialogue remains open. The leaders of the Syrian military — who belong to Syria's minority Alawite community, the pillar of the al Assad regime — have thus far rejected the U.S.-led international offers to make a deal with the opposition. This is because al Assad has managed to slow rebel advances and because the Alawites are fearful of their status in a post-al Assad Syria. But their opposition to a deal with the rebels does not mean they will continue to insist that al Assad remain head of state.