Syrian opposition activists Thursday predicted that the Assad regime will fall by next summer. The U.S. Institute of Peace hosted the activists, who are part of a group called “The Day After” project. They presented the outlines of a transition plan for Syria, which they say is already being used by the opposition in areas no longer under Assad’s control.
It is too early to set up a provisional Syrian government, especially without the support of the U.S. government, the activists told reporters during a Berlin press conference in August. In the meantime, speakers called for support of the Free Syrian Army to hold territory already taken by the armed opposition.
The group, representing some 45 activists drawn from all reaches of the Syrian opposition -- including the Syrian National Council, Local Coordinating Committees in Syria, National Change Current, the Muslim Brotherhood and others -- met from January to June 2012 to draft a vision for managing a post-Assad Syria.
The U.S. State Department and the Swiss government funded the six planning meetings under the sponsorship of the USIP and the German Institute for International and Security Affairs.