It has been stated that Syrians are aware of the need to overthrow the regime.
Former Syrian Vice President Abdul Halim Khaddam has stated that the violent crackdown by President Bashar al-Assad on protesters calling for democracy in Syria will ultimately overthrow him. Khaddam, who fled to Paris in 2005 after serving as Syrian Vice President for about twenty years, expects the Syrian army to stop supporting Assad and adopt a national stance to end the sectarian turmoil perpetrated by Assad.
Abdul Halim Khaddam emphasized that these protests have awakened a deep awareness among Syrians that the continuation of the current regime in Syria would be a major catastrophe for the country. It should be noted that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad recently attempted to appease popular anger by enacting a law abolishing the state of emergency in place for 48 years in Syria, but opponents believe he will continue to suppress protesters.
Abdul Halim Khaddam also criticized President Bashar al-Assad and his younger brother Maher for maintaining a sectarian regime in which the Alawite minority rules over the Sunni majority. He accused them of creating deadly militias among the members of the Republican Guard and the Fourth Division led by Maher, as well as the security forces, all of whom belong to the Alawite Shiite sect.
