In Search of the Good Alawites!

Regardless of what is happening today on the surface of things, and regardless of how much trouble Bashar & Co. have got themselves into, being able to maneuver the country into and through a peaceful democratic transition requires the aegis of a number of Good Sunnis and Good Alawites. 

The Good Sunnis are defined as those who can prevent acts and steer their community in a direction that is more accommodating of difference not only across the sectarian barrier but also across the ideological divide separating Islamists and secularists.

The Good Alawites, on the other hand, are those who will be willing to stand up against the corruption and tyranny of the Assad clan and those who would acknowledge that a return to normalcy in the country means that certain psychological and structural adjustments need to be made in order to allow the Sunni community a more logical share in power and the decision-naming process, one that is more commensurate with demographic realities.

Certain structural checks and balances need to be adopted by one and all in order to prevent both the tyranny of the majority and that of the minority and, more importantly, the tyranny of all ideologies. Small states cannot afford to be ideological in this world. No state really can, but states such as the US can afford to make some mistakes, Syria cannot.
____________________

A Shameless Plug

Managing Transition is currently being debated on the Syria Forum website.