Omar Imady
Al Jazeera publishes: Syria: ‘A kingdom of silence’
Syria: ‘A kingdom of silence’
Despite a wave of protests spreading across the Middle East, so far the revolutionary spirit has failed to reach Syria.Authoritarian rule, corruption and economic hardship are characteristics Syria share with both Egypt and Tunisia. However, analysts say that in addition to the repressive state apparatus, factors such as a relatively popular president and religious diversity make an uprising in the country unlikely.Online activists have been urging Syrians to take to the streets but the calls for a “Syrian revolution” last weekend only resulted in some unconfirmed reports of small demonstrations in the mainly Kurdish northeast.