Syria Legalizes Other Political Parties

The reform legislation is dismissed by opposition leaders who want nothing short of President Assad's resignation.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has decreed that other political parties are now allowed to exist alongside his Ba'athist party, a small token of his appreciation for the 1,700 or so civilians killed by his security forces in recent months. The reform move allows any Syrian citizens to start their own political party so long as its committed to peaceful means, which is just a tad ironic considering how committed to peace Assad and company have been recently. The decree follows one of the bloodiest weeks of the uprising so far, with untold dozens killed in Hama since the start of the holy month of Ramadan. The UN Security Council responded to the intensified crackdown with a statement condemning the Assad regime on Wednesday, which has, unsurprisingly, seemed to have gone entirely unnoticed by Assad.