syria is dying

A brutal civil war reigns in Syria, as demonstrated by scenes of a neighborhood waking to a chemical attack that killed hundreds. International critics allege that the regime, clinging to power, is responsible for the attack, even as the United Nations investigates. The country has become the center for a regional proxy war and a battleground for the two leading branches of Islam, explains Azeem Ibrahim, a lecturer at the University of Chicago and a former Yale World Fellow. Islam has become a house divided, and that diminishes the Middle East’s influence and security. Democracy requires debate, patience and compromise. Ibrahim urges battling factions in the Middle East to consider Tunisia as a model: The ruling party has stepped aside, allowing a neutral cabinet to prepare for new elections and avoiding secular division by leaving sharia out of a new constitution. Ibrahim urges Sunnis and Shias in Syria and beyond to build upon common humanity instead of warring in pursuit of meaningless power for their sect.