More Chaos in Syria

The morning after the Arab League voted to suspend its membership, Syria woke up with a terrible hangover.

Like Assad's treatment of political dissidents, the Syrian reaction to the Arab League’s decision yesterday to sanction the regime has been swift and violent. The League voted to suspend the country's membership after it refused to end violence against protesters that began last March. Embassies across Damascus have been emptied after supporters of Assad’s regime attacked Turkish diplomatic stations and broke into the Saudi and Qatari embassies. The Syrian government “condemned” the attacks, but said the move by the Arab League was illegal and represented an American agenda. They called for an Arab summit to quickly discuss their issues before Syria’s suspension takes effect later this week. Throughout the country, businesses and schools were closed as tens of thousands of government supporters protested the vote.