Hours after Damascus told the Arab League that it had agreed to end the violence against protesters, security forces shot 20 civilians dead. For anyone who has been following the situation in Syria over the past seven months, it was not too surprising. But the episode showed how difficult it will be to negotiate any solution in Syria.
At the prodding of the Arab League, President Bashar Al Assad said on Wednesday that he would pull the army out of the cities and enter into dialogue with the opposition. Whether anyone believed him or not, his first public concession to outside pressure was notable because it showed that he was running out of options.
It did not, however, make even an inch of progress towards ending the bloodshed. As we have noted before in these pages, Mr Al Assad's decision to send tanks into the streets made his position precarious almost from the start. The majority of the opposition demands nothing less than his departure and the Arab League peace proposal calling for a negotiated transition fell far short of that goal. The opposition escalated with larger protests and the regime fell back to its remaining strength - Russian-made bullets.
Damascus is caught in a pincer. By this time even the Assads have to realise that violence is ultimately a losing strategy. Last week, Mr Al Assad told Moscow's Rossiya 1 TV that he was "counting on" Russia. That also helps to explain his lip service to the Arab League proposal. After Russia's veto of UN sanctions against Syria in early October, Moscow gave Damascus an informal one-month grace period to curb the bloodshed. Agreeing, in word at least, to the Arab League was a half-step in that direction.
But it also extinguishes anyone's lingering faith about Mr Al Assad's credibility. The Arab League has given him a two-week deadline and, assuredly, he will offer more words in the meantime. The group's secretary general, Nabil El Arabi, warned yesterday of "disastrous consequences" for the region but so far has shown little inclination to intervene. For the welfare of its own members, the League should consider more than just statements of condemnation. Even the Russians are being embarrassed by the murders and moving towards cutting ties with the regime.
Arab nations, especially GCC states, can push China, India and Russia to pressure the Assads to halt the violence. As last week showed, diplomacy alone seems unlikely to prevail. But day by day, Mr Al Assad sees his options dwindle, and it's in everyone's interest if that last day comes as soon as possible.
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Sustainable Development Goals
1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere
2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation
10. Reduce inequality within and among countries
11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its effects
14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development
Favourite things
Luxury: Enjoys window shopping for high-end bags and jewellery
Discount: She works in luxury retail, but is careful about spending, waits for sales, festivals and only buys on discount
University: The only person in her family to go to college, Jiang secured a bachelor’s degree in business management in China
Masters: Studying part-time for a master’s degree in international business marketing in Dubai
Vacation: Heads back home to see family in China
Community work: Member of the Chinese Business Women’s Association of the UAE to encourage other women entrepreneurs