Saturday
Mar232013
Syria Audio Analysis: The Damascus Mosque Bombing and What's Next --- Scott Lucas with Monocle 24
I spoke with Monocle 24's The Briefing yesterday about the suicide bombing inside a Damascus mosque, which killed 49 people --- including the leading pro-regime Sunni cleric Mohammed Said Ramadan al-Bouti.
Listen to interview, from 6:48 mark, on The Briefing's homepage or in separate pop-out window.
We assess the attack: Was al-Bouti the target? Who is responsible? Is this a "sectarian" assault, as at the start of the Iraq civil war in 2006?
And then there are the ramifications and next steps --- can the Assad regime use the bombing to rally support against a menacing, immoral opposition? Can the opposition ensure that this incident does not halt the momentum of growing international support for it?