In Damascus one morning last week, the Syrian army moved with smooth precision. Up to government buildings rolled Soviet-built armored cars. Troops sealed off the airport, the radio station, the homes of Cabinet ministers. Borders with neighboring countries were closed, and airplanes arriving from outside were waved away. "It was almost a classical maneuver." said a Western observer admiringly. "But then the Syrians are more practiced in this than anyone else." Possibly they are; last week's military coup d'etat was the seventh in 13 years. It came six months to the day after the last, in which the army...
To continue reading:
or
Log-In
