Foreign intervention in Syria would drive the country into a full- fledged civil war, give the regime the excuse to continue the crackdown on dissent, alienate the undecided, and invite destructive groups to fuel turmoil, argues Middle East commentator Ghassan Michel Rubeiz. In joining the uprising, defecting soldiers should not use their arms against the national army. To win a battle of wills a country could be lost.

Syrian protesters in Europe and the Americas have been systematically monitored and harassed by officials acting on behalf of the regime