SYRIA – AT 10:34 A.M. ET:  We watch events in Syria carefully because it's one of the most important Arab countries, and Iran's closest ally in the Arab world.  Also, Syria essentially controls Lebanon through Hezbollah, another Iranian ally.  Despite the Syrian government's brutal crackdowns on protesters, the protests continue and grow.  Friday, after prayers, is the big protest time in the Arab world, and this is Friday...even in Syria:

(CNN) -- Thousands of demonstrators in Syrian cities hit the streets after Friday prayers in another week of anti-government rallies as a prominent humanitarian watchdog group issued a report detailing "torture and ill-treatment" of protesters over the last month.

Three eyewitnesses reported demonstrations in Daraa, Baniyas, Dair Elzour, Douma, Zabadani and the outskirts of Damascus against the Bashar al-Assad regime, urged by protesters to enact political, economic, and social changes.

One witness in Daraa told CNN that people packed into the restive city's main square and chanted, "The people demand the reform of the regime" and "United, United! The Syrian people are united." The witness, who is a doctor, said the demonstration was peaceful and there were no signs of police or soldiers.

Human Rights Watch on Friday issued a report entitled "Syria: Rampant Torture of Protesters," a document detailing arbitrary detention, as well as mistreatment in prison.

Ordinarily, we wouldn't take anything said by Human Rights Watch too seriously.  The group has become something of a joke.  But this time, faced with overwhelming evidence, they may actually be getting it right.

Meanwhile, the United States issues pro forma denunciations of the Syrian crackdown, but there are no teeth in our statements.  Apparently, according to reports, White House advisers are divided over how far to take our protests.

Strange.  We cracked down hard on ally Mubarak, pressuring him out of office, and each day we get reports of worsening conditions for the Egyptian "revolution."  But we issue only wrist slaps to enemy Assad. 

I can't deny that making policy in these situations is difficult.  As with Libya, we really don't know much about the Syrian opposition.  Once again America's lack of human intelligence is dragging us down.  In Egypt it is now likely that any new government will have an anti-American flavor, and there is no guarantee that Egyptian "democracy" will last very long. 

The American media seems to be losing interest in these Mideast eruptions, which have been going on since they started in Tunisia in January.  But what is happening today will profoundly affect our future relations in the region, and, ultimately, our own security.

April 15, 2011