Last of the Sunni Generals Abandons Assad

SYRIA UPDATE:  The NY Times reports today (26/12/12) that one of Syria's last remaining Sunni generals has now abandoned the Assad regime and publicly declared his defection. Another blow to the embattled regime.

At the same time, it appears that Assad's "inner circle," those with real influence over his decision-making has turned very hard-line, and is now excluding voices calling for negotiations with the factions.

In the face of these developments, UN "Special Envoy" Lakhdar Brahimi has returned to Damascus with new proposals designed to end the conflict and provide Assad with an exit scenario he will accept. It is clear that none of the major players has any hope at all that his efforts will yield positive results. But these matters are fluid, if nothing else. Last-minute surprises should not be ruled out.

To date, authoritative observers are recording 45,000 deaths since the conflict began in March, 2011. That number includes about 12,000 fighters, and over 30,000 civilian deaths.