Steven Heydemann of the United States Institute of Peace Discusses Events Preceding the Syrian Government's Recent Crackdown Against Opposition Groups

Steven Heydemann, vice president of grants and fellowships at USIP, discusses the factors leading to the Syrian government's recent crackdown against opposition groups and poor human rights record at a panel discussion. He says that perceptions of impunity on the part of the Syrian regime are reinforced by such events as the upcoming Arab League summit in Damascus and that this makes for low "opportunity cost of repression." (0:50)
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