The Daily Star Editorial

The situation in Syria has entered a new phase, one in which the alarm bells are ringing loudly.
During the initial months of the street protests, perhaps the Syrian authorities believed they had tacit approval for what they were doing, in the belief that they were hearing only silence from the rest of the world.
The recent statements of condemnation, and extreme concern, by countries such as the United States and Russia, apparently failed to make any headway with the Syrian leadership.

In the last 72 hours, however, the Syrian government has plunged ahead with a bizarre go-for-broke strategy, as the street entered its own, new rhythm for the month of Ramadan – mobilization on a daily basis, instead of once-a-week shows of strength, after Friday prayers.

The Syrian authorities have acted on various fronts in the last few days. But instead of focusing on a combination of political and diplomatic moves, the fronts they have acted on have all been military. The government has adopted the “security” approach, i.e. the use of violence, siege and arrests.

Over the weekend, the Syrian authorities received a succession of responses to their latest acts.
The prime minister of Turkey announced that he would send his foreign minister to deliver a decisive, firmly worded message to Damascus. Bouthaina Shaaban, an adviser to President Bashar Assad, countered this by promising that the Turkish envoy would hear even more strongly worded comments.

Sunday, it was the turn of Saudi Arabia to speak out, in the most public and vocal manner possible: King Abdullah bin Abdel-Aziz issued a pointed warning to the Syrian leadership: Its behavior was now clearly out of control.

The swift departure of the ambassadors of several Gulf countries from Damascus coincided with this warning, and should there be any doubt about the seriousness of the situation, the United States issued a travel warning to its nationals, advising them to leave Syria immediately, while civilian aircraft were still available to get them out.

The British and German Foreign Ministries, meanwhile, have authored an op-ed piece in which they say that Assad has a stark choice: reform or leave, after having discredited and isolated himself.
All of these signs, and statements, taken together, represent a “last warning” before a new, more serious approach is taken by the international community.

The message to Assad is clear: The security solution has failed. If the situation gets out of hand, the ramifications will travel beyond Syria’s borders, to a realm in which little is predictable, other than the fact that the consequences will likely be dire for both the regime and the people of Syria.