Hama was the scene of a Muslim Brotherhood uprising against Mr Assad's father, Hafez, in 1982, which the army crushed, killing at least 10,000 people. They said the Assads couldn't do another Hama in this day and age. Are we about to see that proposition put to the test?
If the dictator does finally step down, economic turmoil could be a bigger factor than diplomatic condemnation. We'll see if the army will stick by their President when he starts cutting their salaries.
