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The United Nations Supervision Mission in Syria had a weak mandate, followed passive rules of engagement, and operated within a political six-point plan that was challenging to translate to field realities.
Many Lebanese Alawites do not seem particularly keen on being associated with their co-religionists in Syria, and they are especially wary of being linked to the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
The Arab Democratic Party (ADP) has long been the representative of Lebanon’s tiny Alawite community. Its long-standing alliance with the Assad regime has ensured its political and paramilitary hegemony over Lebanon’s Alawites. But new Alawite voices are emerging that are more critical of the Assad regime and of the ADP.
During the current uprising, most of Syria’s Druze have kept to the Assad government’s side, like other religious minorities.
Abdulkader Al Dhon is a human rights activist from southern Syria. In the past two years, he has traveled all over Syria working with several international newspapers and human rights groups to shine a light on the violence in Syria and help researchers access rebel-held areas.