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The pressure is mounting on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to end a brutal five-month crackdown on non-violent protesters that has left more than 2,000 people dead. International criticism against al-Assad is growing, in-part because the brutality has significantly increased during the holy month of Ramadan. On Monday, Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah launched a rare public attack on the Syrian leader, demanding that he end the violence and institute reforms. Turkey’s Prime Minister Erdogan went a step further, warning that his patience was running out while he hinted that leadership change in Syria might be in order. Behind the scenes, Secretary of State Clinton met on Sunday with Turkey’s Foreign Minister requesting that he pressure Syria to return all troops to their barracks and release demonstrators from prison. To illustrate how loudly the sabers are rattling in the region, Clinton’s remarks led at least one news source in Israel to speculate that the US was considering sending in NATO troops. As the war of words continued, real blood was being shed in Syria, where it was reported that government troops used anti-aircraft guns against civilians in Hama, north of Damascus. One resident there told the BBC: “people are being slaughtered like sheep while walking in the street.” The Syrian government disputes these claims, maintaining that “armed criminal gangs” supported by foreign groups are initiating the clashes. International support for the nation’s protest movement is gaining momentum. In Beirut on Monday, 500 people held a candle light vigil in solidarity with the Syrian protestors. In Amman, Jordan, an estimated 4,000 people demonstrated in front of the Syrian embassy. [i]The hacker collective “Anonymous”, broke into the web site of the Syrian Ministry of Defense and posted a message congratulating the protestors for their bravery, and calling on Bashar al-Assad step down.

GUEST: Joshua Stacher is assistant professor of political science at Kent State University who specializes politics in Egypt and Syria.