The Assad regime has lost the consent of the governed, and it is difficult to see how a replacement Alawite regime would be able to regain this consent.

Voters will decide how they want to be governed.

That is because the conflict with al Qaeda is not governed by the Geneva Conventions, which applies only to international conflicts between states that have signed them.

In a democratic set-up, people who are being governed should also be a part of the governing system. They should be drafted into the governance.