Syrian security forces are cracking down heavily on opposition protests. Who is leading the protests? Will they gather momentum? And if they manage - yes, we're getting a bit ahead of ourselves, here - to topple the regime, who will come out on top?

For now, it is too early to say if these outbreaks in Syria will transform into a wider revolution. This will be an uneven contest between those sick of tyranny and impoverishment and a regime with no compunctions about using lethal force to maintain its illegitimate hold on the state:

Syria remains a closed and walled-off nation. But descriptions of the uprising in Dara'a were dramatic. The alleged details included dozens of young men pelting a poster - in broad daylight - of a smiling President Bashar al-Assad; a statue of his late father and predecessor Hafiz al-Assad, demolished; official buildings including the ruling Baath Party's headquarters and the governor's office burned down. "There is no fear, there is no fear, after today there is no fear!" hundreds of men chant, captured in shaky mobile phone footage allegedly taken on Monday. Over the weekend, provincial security forces opened fire on the marchers, killing several.