The Arab League’s political initiative brings an important shift in the Syrian crisis. There is, for the most part, consensus among Arab countries that the incumbent president, Bashar Al-Assad, must step-down and confer his powers to his deputy.
In a surprise move, and despite differences by different members of the Arab League on the first report of the League’s monitors in Syria, the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Arab League surprised both Arab and international public opinion by announcing a new Arab League initiative to deal with the Syrian crisis. This initiative is a significant step in the direction of addressing security concerns that have arisen out of the Syrian crisis. It is difficult for international powers and actors interested in the future of Syria to ignore such an initiative.
This is a brief review of the Syrian situation in light of the new Arab League initiative.