Syrian government resigns
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  • Syrian President Bashar Al Assad accepted his government’s resignation on March 29 after the protests challenging his rule. Protesters at first had limited their demands to greater freedoms. But the move was unlikely to satisfy protester demands since the cabinet has little authority in Syria, where power is concentrated in the hands of Assad, his family and the security apparatus. But, increasingly incensed by a security crackdown on them, especially in the southern city of Deraa where protests first erupted, they now call for the “downfall of the regime.”1 The coming days will be key to determining whether Assad’s concessions will quiet the protest movement, which began after security forces arrested several teenagers who scrawled anti-government graffiti on a wall in the impoverished city of Daraa in the south. The protests spread to other provinces and the government launched a swift crackdown, killing more than 60 people since March 18, according to Human Rights Watch. However, the violence has eased in the past few days and the demonstrations might quickly die out if the president’s promises appear genuine.2

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