...despite Turkey’s understanding that Assad must go, the country is unwilling to intervene militarily or use its soft power in regards to trade and the economy to pressure the Syrian regime.

As Syrian forces reportedly begin a third day of their assault on the port of Latakia, newspapers in the region have expressed anger about Arab states' failure to respond to events in that country. Several commentators strongly criticise the "shameful Arab silence" towards the Syrian authorities, with one saying that it amounts to handing over the country to "anarchy."

The Syrian revolt is an important part of the broader Arab Spring that is transforming the Middle East, and U.S. policy must transform with it. After months of disappointing statements urging Assad to "reform," the Obama administration has begun to align itself with the Syrian people....

We think to date, the government is responsible for the deaths of more than 2,000 people of all ages, and the United States has worked very hard to corral and focus international opinion to take steps toward a unified response to the atrocities that are occurring...

Tens of thousands of people marched across Syria on the first Friday of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan....Clinton repeated that the United States believed Assad had lost legitimacy in Syria...The European Union also agreed to further extend sanctions on Syria.

After having cautiously lingered in the shade for almost eight months figuring out the meaning and dangers of the Arab Spring, Israel suddenly stirred itself on Tuesday. In an unprecedented move, Israeli President Shimon Peres called in the Arab media for a press conference...

While rap has provided the gritty sound track to popular uprisings roiling some of the Middle East's most entrenched dictatorships, in Syria it has largely supported the status quo. That picture is one the Syrian government is keen to portray: that protesters who have taken to the streets...have either been duped or are active participants in a foreign conspiracy aimed at punishing Syria for its politics.

It is absolutely clear that the Syrian government is running out of time. They are either going to allow a serious political process...and engage in a productive dialogue with members of the opposition and civil society, or they're going to continue to see increasingly organized resistance,