Syrian Opposition Struggles for Relevance as Assad Tightens Grip by Raja Abdulrahim – Wall Street Journal
Syria’s opposition has pinned its hopes on a new constitution that could allow for political transition in a country devastated by civil war, as it struggles for relevance eight years after an uprising began to oust the Assad regime.
At the latest round of the so-called Astana talks including Russia, Iran and Turkey that ended Friday, the participants backed the formation of a constitutional committee for Syria overseen by the United Nations in the coming months.
The committee, once formed, is expected to oversee the rewriting of Syria’s constitution, a document the opposition hopes could herald political reforms and elections in a country the same family has ruled for more than four decades.
A new constitution also represents the one chance the opposition has of playing a role in Syria’s political future as President Bashar al-Assad, backed by Russia and Iran, emerges victorious in the country’s eight-year conflict…