Violence and Cuts in Oil Production Prompt Post-Assad Anxiety

Syria notified foreign oil companies to cut back oil production, as their storage capacity is full because of the imposed oil embargo by the E.U. The E.U. had bought 95% of Syria’s oil exports, forcing Syria to seek outside buyers to no avail. According to shipping data “not a single cargo of Syrian crude has left the nation’s main export oil ports this month.”

Reports are also indicating Syrian forces attacked the central town of Rastan to quell a group of army deserters, who are fighting back after months of non-violent protests. Many eyewitnesses state they saw tanks and helicopters storm into the city, injuring at least 40 civilians. Syria’s foreign minister has blamed the violence and unrest on foreign intervention, causing delays in Assad’s democratic reforms.

As unrest in Syria continues, many Christians are backing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in fear of what could happen after Assad falls. Abu Elias, a Syrian Christian, stated “We are all scared of what will come next,” when talking about the possibility of the Assad government falling.  Christians are worried about a change in power ushering in a Sunni rule, erasing the protection Christians enjoy under Assad.

“Mr. Assad remains predictable in a region where unpredictability has driven their brethren from war-wrecked places like Iraq and Lebanon, and where others have felt threatened in post-revolutionary Egypt.” A fear exists that Christians might be subjected to reprisals for supporting Assad from the Sunni majority, and that the current conflict will escalate into civil war, unleashing sectarian bloodshed. While some Christians have joined the uprising, most notably Christian intellectuals Michel Kilo and Fayez Sara, worries linger that Islamists, the most organized group, could gain power and influence societies to become more conservative or even intolerant.