Uneasy stalemate: Syria caught in deadlock as war of attrition drags on

 "Many Damascenes who oppose the regime, including most of the activists who organised the street protests of 2011, have left for Beirut. Arrests continue, and those activists who remain in Syria avoid being seen with foreign journalists. As a result, the overwhelming mood in the capital is support for the government, either with genuine enthusiasm or out of fear of chaos if it falls."

 In those areas of the capital to which Jonathan Steele travels. A piece full of half-truths , "the informal militias, known as the 'shabiha', who were often accused of massacres". I see that Rajaa Nasser gets another outing, with another pack of untruths, "The Syrian National Coalition [the western-backed opposition] is not independent." [DG: Of course the armed opposition is the FSA, and 'Western-backed' is a sick joke]. The idea that the FSA would agree to a ceasefire while Assad's representatives talk in Geneva displays considerable i̶g̶n̶o̶r̶a̶n̶c̶e̶ prejudgement* on Mr.Steele's part. His contention that Assad is doing well is based on Britain not voting for airstrikes (remember that?), and the narrowly won military success in Qusayr, which Clay Claiborne puts in proper context.**

*Compare him from September 1st: "Syrian rebels' intransigence and their unwillingness to attend without preconditions are the main reason for the failure of Geneva so far. US military strikes will only embolden them to delay further. The hope of a ceasefire – by far the most reliable and principled mechanism to protect Syrian lives – will recede again."[http://www.theguardian.com/…/us-public-doubts-attacking-syr…]
**"Qusayr wasn't regarded as being strategically important by the media while the Syrian revolutionaries held it for a year. Now that it is back in the government's hands, we will hear a lot about its strategic importance."[http://claysbeach.blogspot.co.uk/…/is-qusayr-assads-1st-maj…]