I haven't seen much posted about Syrian recently, the uprising, violent as it has been, is rapidly gaining ground.
The latest has 3 important Syrian officials killed off in a bomb strike in Damascus, the dead including the brother-in-law to Assad and the Syrian Defence Minister. 40% of the country is no longer in government hands, and Turkey has reported dozens of high-ranking military defections as officials flee the collapsing dictatorship.
The government is afraid to openly confront the rebels, because they fear mass desertion by the bulk of their (Sunni) troops. Irregulars are being used instead, but they haven't been able to assert control over the situation and it looks now that Assad's regime is all but doomed.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jul/18/syria-rebels-kill-elite-damascus----
I'll be toasting tonight to the fall of another of America's enemies abroad. Russia and Iran are now on a very short list.