The situation in Syria seems to be in a vicious circle: intensified armed conflicts in major cities; incapability of the United Nations' mediation; and interference by the external forces. With domestic confrontation continuing to escalate, the prospect of a solution through political dialogue is dim, says an editorial in Beijing Youth Daily. Excerpts:

In Syria, government forces, with superior arms, and opposition forces, skilled at guerrilla tactics, are fighting at close range across the country, which has led to numerous civilian casualties. The UN is stepping up efforts for political mediation, while some Western countries are eager to engage in military intervention.

On Aug 21, Qadri Jamil, Syria's deputy prime minister, said Syria was ready to discuss the resignation of President Bashar al-Assad as part of a negotiated settlement to end the bloodshed. US President Barack Obama implicitly threatened to launch an attack should the Damascus regime deploy a chemical-weapons stockpile it recently acknowledged having.

The Syrian authorities are clearly aware that the root cause of the confrontation is the persistence of the current regime. The only goal of the West and the opposition is to overthrow the current government through either peaceful or military means.

As far as Assad's departure, the regime has its own calculations and may already have a plan, but not the same as what the West and the opposition envision.

Damascus is trying to seize the initiative through Assad's resignation, which would mean a decent, legitimate and stable political transition. For the Syrian authorities, a controllable election ahead of schedule would be the best arrangement.

The West and the opposition cannot accept and tolerate Assad's easy departure. This cannot help promote the establishment of an inclusive political system.

After 18 months of conflict, the country has missed its best opportunity for a consultative political transition. But it is still far from clear that the country will see a regime change through force. Unlike the situation in Egypt, the Arab Socialist Baath Party with President Assad as the core controls the whole system of the government, military and police. The cohesion and capability of self-defense of the Assad government is different from the Hosni Mubarak government in Egypt.