Will Aleppo Rise Up?  Activists in Syria despair that the
country's economic capital has yet to join the revolution. But
the regime's growing use of violence could tip the city over the
edge.  In the early days of the Syrian revolution, those hoping
for the speedy demise of President Bashar al-Assad's regime held
their breath for Aleppo. Syria's largest city was one of the
epicenters of the revolt against Hafez al-Assad's regime in the
early 1980s, and was second only to Hama in the number of sons
who were disappeared by its feared security forces. But as the
months dragged on and the city failed to rise, our emotions
moved from anticipation to frustration. Why was Aleppo immune
from the protests that have swept across Syria?  Aleppo's
silence -- save for demonstrations at its university and a few
scattered Friday protests -- became grist for jokes among
revolutionary Syrians. "Aleppo wouldn't rise even if it took
Viagra," despaired one of the famous signs wielded by protesters
in the northern town of Kafranb