These communities—and when I say “these communities”, I'm talking about cultural, ethnic and religious communities—are under pressure internally and externally. Internally, they are under pressure because of the legacy of authoritarianism. As a matter of fact, I will go even one step further and say that since Syria's independence, communalism has always been at the forefront in the relationships among communities.
They are under pressure on the regional front as well. Israel is not assisting this situation in any way. The Israeli attempts to galvanize the Druze community to secede from Syria is unfortunate. It is damaging Syria's potential for recovery and is also having an impact on regional stability.
Are they safe? No. Can we make them safe and safer? The answer is yes. That is a place for Canada to play a role.