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Assad's Speech and the Syrian Political Solution

Sami Moubayed analyzes prospects for a political solution in Syria following the speech by President Bashar al-Assad.
Men watch a television broadcast of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad speaking from the capital's Opera House, inside a room in the city of Azaz in north Aleppo January 6, 2013. REUTERS/Abdalghne Karoof (SYRIA - Tags: CONFLICT)

One week ago, there was a sense of cautious optimism about an upcoming breakthrough in the Syrian crisis. Many were speculating about a US-Russian agreement on Syria based on the Geneva Plan of 2011, which outlines a political roadmap for the transition.

President Bashar al-Assad’s Jan. 6 speech at the Damascus Opera House outlined the limits of far he was willing to go in pursuing a political settlement. His ceiling, by all accounts, was very low.

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