From bad to worse

THE big question, as the Syrian uprising enters its fourth month, is whether the protesters, who have been slaughtered in their hundreds by President Bashar Assad's security forces, will themselves remain peaceful. The increasing violence of the repression, especially in the north-western town of Jisr al-Shughour and the province of Idleb surrounding it, is raising the stakes. An all-out assault on the city has prompted more than 8,500 people to flee to Turkey, some 20km (12 miles) away.