Good piece by Friedman, DaveRo, thank you.
I'm with Mrrzy on this. Possibly the original seat of civilisation, and we don't know its likely fate.
It's extraordinary and wonderful to see the centres of torment in Syria emptied, and to see the rejoicing of women at the new freedom. But post-revolutionary societies have a nasty tendency to become brutal and repressive. We can only hope this won't happen in Syria. Let's hope the rebels' ideals forecast a just and kind society.