The daily Star Editorial

There is plenty of news to sift through when it comes to Syria, as the popular uprising against the government of President Bashar Assad enters its 11th month.
A long-awaited report by Arab League monitors is set to be issued this weekend, after Damascus finally gave in and allowed their entry into the country.

Meanwhile, the United Nations has offered its services to help enhance the performance of the monitors, which indicates that their mission might be extended past the agreed-upon deadline.

The emir of Qatar has made his stance known, suggesting that sending Arab peacekeeping troops would be a viable option to help end the bloodletting. Other Arab countries are no doubt studying this proposal with a degree of seriousness.

Inside Syria, the authorities have informally floated a proposal that they think will alleviate the situation. A steady stream of items indicates that Syrian leaders favor the formation of a new government, with key representation for the opposition.

If the development actually comes to pass, it will further divide the Syrian opposition, between those groups that reject dealing with the regime in any form, and those that support some type of dialogue and interaction.
The Syrian National Council and the Free Syrian Army have reportedly agreed to launch closer coordination with each other, in the drive to topple the regime. These two factions are supportive of some kind of outside intervention, preferably by the United Nations.

However, the players that call the shots in the Security Council, such as the United States and Russia, have yet to agree on any kind of workable plan for the international body to deal with the Syrian crisis.

Throughout all these developments, there is a common thread: None of these actions, or possibilities of action, has been able to stop the daily killing of Syrian citizens. A number of foreign actors are studying the situation and issuing daily pronouncements, assessments and ultimatums. None of them has managed to convince Assad and other Syrian officials that a hard-line crackdown is the wrong approach. The body count continues to rise on a daily basis, in a war of attrition between the regime and its opponents that only means average Syrians are being steadily ground down.

With each passing day, the violence continues, as the social fabric of Syria unravels. Every day, thousands of ordinary Syrians take stances on the popular uprising, whether for or against, and alienate the other side. When the crisis ends, huge efforts will be required to put the country and its economy back together again.

It is positive to see officials in the U.N. and leading countries in the world, and the region debate the various scenarios and try to produce a workable plan. But their timeframe is not indefinite; every passing day means more damage, and a bigger hole to dig out of.