One week ago, there was a sense of cautious optimism about an upcoming breakthrough in the Syrian crisis. Many were speculating about a US-Russian agreement on Syria based on the Geneva Plan of 2011, which outlines a political roadmap for the transition.
President Bashar al-Assad’s Jan. 6 speech at the Damascus Opera House outlined the limits of far he was willing to go in pursuing a political settlement. His ceiling, by all accounts, was very low.