At the risk of over-stepping any rules we have here on political discussion, my fear with Syria is that the 2 Assad regimes have safeguarded the existence of religious minorities in the country. There is a substantial Christian population in the country, together with several smaller Muslim sects that generally suffer severe persecution in other Islamic countries in the area.

I am concerned that if Assad and his supporters do fall suddenly, a la Gaddafi, there will be an almost immediate ethnic "cleansing", with the mainstream Sunni Muslims moving to rid the country of its minorities. There are numerous signs that Egypt, for instance, has become much less safe for Coptic Christians since Mubarak fell.

The West needs to think as much about ensuring that violence and bloodshed actually end when the Assads leave, as about how to remove them in the first place.

Apologies in advance if this is not the forum.