What is going on in Syria cannot be attributed to the Arab Spring. Syria is under attack from the outside, and most of the so-called "rebels" are foreign-born Jihadists (Libyans, Tunisians, etc). Basically, the scum of the Islamic world have descended on Syria and are tearing Syrian society apart with the help of U.S. money and weapons.
These Jihadists are not interested in any spring. They are too bloodthirsty to seek a dialogue between parties and a renewal of Syria. They have no popular social base in any part of the country. All they have are the tools of terror and the masks of media.
The massive political changes that are happening across the Arab world is inspiring, but it's an intellectual mistake to lump in all the Arab countries in with each other and compare Egypt's level of progress with the situation in Syria.
Reforms are not being demanded by the Syrian people to the same extent and with the same degree of passion as elsewhere in the region. Their number one need right now is security, not democracy. Assad is not the butcher that he has been made out to be. It does not matter what a few thousand uneducated Jihadists think, they do not speak for the Syrian people.
What have been the fruits of the Arab Spring so far? Mostly poverty and insecurity. In Egypt, tourism is down and the economy is in even worse shape than before the revolution. Many young Egyptians are saying that the immediate democratic gains of the Arab Spring are being destroyed by the Muslim Brotherhood. They are aware of the betrayal by the Muslim Brotherhood leadership and they have not retired from the streets. Morsi is a very unpopular leader. His reign is a time bomb.
Bassem Sabry wrote in an article called, "Could Violence in Egypt Spin Out of Control?":
A few days ago, clashes erupted between protesters, Muslim Brotherhood members and policemen by the Brotherhood’s headquarters atop the Muqattam hill. More than 250 were injured, according to one report, some of whom were grievously wounded.The greatest thing about the Arab Spring is that people now have more freedom to express themselves in public.
An Egyptian religious figure made a speech at Tahrir Square in which he brutally mocked Morsi, calling him "mentally insane," and likening him to an "escaped convict." He also said, "I swear to God that Morsi did not even get an elementary-school diploma." This is funny, but the political crisis in Egypt is very serious. I am hopeful because most of the country is young and they are fearless. Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood are no match for them.
Video - Tahrir Square Friday Sermon: Calls to Kill Hamas Members in Egypt, Send President Morsi to Jail. Source: MEMRI TV.
NY Times: Arrest of Anti-Islamist Figures Is Ordered in Egypt. Video below is by Euro News.
