Remember the Lebanese martyrs

What we are witnessing in Syria is a normal finale to an abnormal regime. The regime has decided, in order to stay in power, to eliminate its people, but those people are not prepared to accept this humiliation. The Syrian people have decided to resist, just  as the Lebanese did for many years before them, which was to confront the murderous machine in Syria which targeted senior figures in Lebanon such as Kamal Jumblatt, the former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and his companions, Mufti Hassan Khaled, and the two presidents: Bashir Gemayel and Rene Moawad as well as Samir Kassir, George Hawi, Gibran Tueni, Walid Eido, Pierre Gemayel and Antoine Ghanem. Of course, we cannot forget the martyrs who also resisted the murderous machine, on the top of the list are Marwan Hamadeh, Elias Murr and Mai Chidiac. During these days, we should remember the martyrs of Lebanon whose numbers are tens of thousands as well as those detained in Syrian prisons. We should remember the martyrs of Tripoli, Sidon, Damour and Ashrafieh and every village which suffered for years under the brutality of the Syrian regime. What is left for Bashar al-Assad  and what can Syrians do once the situation gets out of control?  Do you believe that Russia and Iran will act? Do you believe Sergei Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister, when he says that there is a section of Syrian society who still support the regime? If Russia was able to do something, it would have saved Nikolai Ceausescu, when the Soviet Union was still alive and kicking. The Syrian regime’s end will be a combination of two endings: that of Ceausescu and that of Muammar Gaddafi. Assad shall pay the price for his inability to understand that crime cannot solve his problems and crime cannot cover crimes. The Syrian regime tried it before when it wanted to cover  up the crime of extending the rule of Emile Lahoud by the assassination attempt against Marwan Hamadeh. When it wasn’t able to terrorise the Lebanese, Rafiq Hariri and his companion were assassinated. When the Lebanese took to the streets to courageously face and oust the Syrian troops from Lebanese territory, the Syrian regime sought to intimidate them by further bombings and crimes using the tools of Iran, and tools of Christian MP Michel Aoun, a hero of failed battles. Bashar al-Assad inherited power, and learned from the out-moded experience of his father, Hafez al-Assad, but he doesn't seem to realise that the world has changed, and the entire Middle East has re-shaped and that the policy followed by Hafez al-Assad was a hollow policy. What is left for Bashar al-Assad to do? Will he use chemical weapons against his own people? Most likely he will play with the card of the Alawite state; as he has lost Damascus and Homs and Hama and Aleppo. What must be noted is that not all the Alawites support Bashar al-Assad.  The Alawite sect has also suffered at the hands of the al-Assad family. Hafez al-Assad killed Mohammed Omran and imprisoned Salah Jadid until he died, and tortured dozens of officers who refused to be servile to him. There is no doubt that heavy shelling which was directed at  Homs and Hama, aimed to expand the vital area of the​​ Alawite state.This strategy has failed miserably; Homs has remained steadfast and large numbers of Alawites turned their backs on this tactic. Who can persuade Bashar al-Assad that this option has  failed, just like the security solution? Bashar al-Assad has no other recourse but to leave Syria immediately. He has no option but to resort to Russia or Iran with members of his family and wait  until he stands before a court one day. There are no other options available to a man who thought that getting rid of Rafik Hariri would solve his regime's problems. Bashar al-Assad in Lebanon committed sins against the Lebanese, and now he is making the same mistakes in Syria at the expense of the Syrians. We believed after the crimes he committed in Lebanon, that he knew nothing about his neighbouring country. Today we discover that he knows nothing about Syria or the Syrians either.  This is because he was empowered by the mistaken belief that  he knows everything and all he had to do was follow the guidelines of his father to spend his lifetime as president of Syria. What happened on July 18 shows that the Syrians are saying what the Lebanese said before them: there is no such thing as “al-Assad forever!” The views expressed by the author do not necessarily represent or reflect the editorial policy of Arabstoday.