DAMASCUS — Iraq’s Saddam Hussein had Tikritis. Hosni Mubarak had Egypt’s ruling party elite and their patronage networks. Libya’s Gadhafi had Sirte and a smattering of other towns.
In Syria, a visit here makes clear there is still a sizeable — and perhaps decisive — part of the Syrian population that supports, or at least doesn’t resist, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's rule, although the opposition often gets more media attention.
