War without end

The end of the embargo will not make any immediate difference on the ground,since its meant as a warning to Assad. So far,the debate on arming the opposition had been framed by fears of anti-aircraft and armour-penetrating weapons falling in Islamists hands as well as the fact that the rebels lack of firepower was helping the al-Qaeda affiliated al-Nusra front edge the moderates out. But the opposition,having lost all battles of late,is in disarray,with its fighters on the ground claiming the foreign-based Syrian National Coalition no longer represents them fully.

If efforts to bring the warring sides to the negotiating table fail again,Lebanon will be the first casualty,as its ethnic-religious factions are already fighting on both sides of the border,evoking spectres of its civil war. At the current rate,the conflict will last much longer,costing many more lives. The regimes victory in the ongoing battle for Qusair could upset a negotiated transition by bolstering Assad,whom the rebels dont want included in that process.