Real Peace or Political Survival?
1 | SYRIA
Western powers watched warily as Syrian President Bashar Assad agreed on March 27 to a peace plan proposed by former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan. Though it promises a U.N.-supervised cease-fire that could end the regime's attacks on opposition strongholds, the plan also requires the opposition to sit down with the regime and hammer out a political solution. Western and Arab powers had previously backed opposition calls for Assad's immediate exit from power. Assad's acceptance of the plan was no doubt urged by Russia and China, both of which had vetoed earlier U.N. resolutions...