Why Syria's Government Has Survived the War

The Arab Spring protests of 2011 sent Syrians pouring into the streets of Damascus. Demonstrations turned into violence. Violence became all-out civil war. Yet with remarkable tenacity, the president has held on to territory through five years of bloody conflict, prolonging his family's control of the country even when confronted with opposition from the international community. The resilience of his government has much to do with the work of his father, who created a massive intelligence and security apparatus designed to maintain control with brutal force....