US Calls For President Assad to Step Down Amid Unrest in Syria

As unrest spreads in Syria the government continues to crack down on demonstrators. But President Bashar al-Assad’s government seems to be weakening and losing nearly all of its international support. The United States has imposed sanctions on Syria’s largest bank and mobile phone operator while calling on Assad to step down from power. Meanwhile within Syria, even members of the political and social elite are starting to back away from the Assad regime. Anthony Shadid, Beirut Bureau Chief for our partner The New York Times, tells about the political and social situation on the ground and how international pressure will impact the Assad government as a possible policy of regime change emerges from Washington.