On Sunday, January 22, the Arab League put forth a surprising new peace plan which called on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down from power, and for the Syrian government to move forward with negotiating with the opposition, establishing a transitional government, and eventually holding national elections. Damascus immediately shot down the new plan, terming it "blatant interference in its internal affairs". Nevertheless, the government approved a one-month extension of the League's observer mission, which is now set to conclude on February 22. The UN also announced today that fragmented conditions on the ground have caused it to lose track of the death toll from the revolution, another troubling outcome of the country's ongoing crisis.

The mandate of the Arab League's observer mission in Syria came to an end today amid widespread frustration by all sides. The mission is set to release a report on its findings within the next 48 hours, after which, League officials will convene to discuss both the findings and a way forward. The lack of a consensus at numerous levels with regard to how to bring an end to the current violence and the stalemate between the government and the opposition, has intensified in the face of worsening security conditions. On Thursday, the Syrian pound hit a six-year low of 71 to the US dollar, losing a third of its value and serving as troubling indicator of the spiraling cost of the country's current crisis. 

On Tuesday, January 10 during an address at Damascus University, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad highlighted ongoing government reforms and vowed to continue the government's fight against terrorism and international conspirators. For its part, the Arab League observer mission in Syria has already been deemed a failure; violence has heavily intensified with over 400 killed since the first of its members arrived in country two weeks ago. At the same time, fuel and heating oil shortages, as well as a growing dearth of affordable food stuffs, are posing serious challenges to nearly all. 

Weekly posts in the Syria News Blog will resume next Thursday, January 12, 2012. Thank you for your patience. 

The crisis in Syria was officially internationalized when members of the Arab League's observer force arrived in Syria last Thursday. The following day, two car bombs exploded in front of state security offices in Kfar Sousa, Damascus, killing 44 and injuring another 100. The issue of who was responsible for the attack remains in dispute. Three days later, a second group of Arab League monitors arrived in Syria as violence in the central city of Homs intensified. Charged with monitoring the Syrian government's implementation of the Arab League's peace plan, the monitors have thus far been met with mixed emotions and varying levels of violence and disorder. 

Today marks the end of the Syrian revolution's ninth month and nonviolent civil disobedience and activism among members of the opposition continue to rise, irregardless of the Syrian government's intensifying use of lethal force against its detractors. At the same time, the ranks of the Free Syrian Army, the armed element of the uprising, are slowly swelling, fueling concerns that the power of violence will soon overwhelm that of peaceful resistance. For their part, major players in the international community, Turkey, France, and the US among them, appear to be edging toward recanting their noninterventionist views on Syria's crisis, thereby ratcheting up fears that foreign military intervention in Syria is indeed on the table. 

During his first interview with American media since the start of the revolution, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad claimed no responsibility for the violence and political turmoil in Syria, reiterating Damascus's official line. President Assad told ABC's Barbara Walters this week that only a "crazy person" would kill his own people and indeed, the violence that has taken hold of Syria must only be attributed to armed gangs and efforts by the Syrian government to quell them. At the same time, Burhan Ghalioun, head of the leading opposition group, the Syrian National Council, made a number of missteps during an interview with the Wall Street Journal, leaving some concerned about the extent of his political acumen. The first week of December was a violent one, with well over 100 people killed amid ongoing turmoil. It came on the heels of the deadliest month thus far in the revolution: over 950 people were reportedly killed across the country during the month of November.

Damascus's recalcitrance before mounting regional and international pressure to bring an end to country-wide violence prompted both the Arab League and Turkey to impose sanctions against Syria this week. Syria's international isolation has taken on profound dimensions as the beleaguered government fights at all costs to remain at the country's helm. The UN Human Rights Committee has now charged the Syrian government with committing systematic "crimes against humanity" while the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, upped the death toll from the uprising on December 1 to "much more" than 4,000 and declared Syria in a state of "civil war".

Arab League efforts to deploy a pan-Arab observer force to Syria collapsed over the weekend following the League's refusal to accept Damascus's proposed amendments to the protocol. Violence spiked mid-week, with some 28 people killed in security crackdowns and clashes on Tuesday. The same day, the UN General Assembly voted in favor of a resolution against Syria condemning "the continued grave and systematic human rights violations by the Syrian authorities" and calling upon Damascus to "immediately put an end to all human rights violations" and protect Syrian civilians.