Syrians Adjusting to Change in Leaders
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN ANCHOR: Back in the Middle East, the people of Syria are still trying to adjust to a sudden change in leadership. CNN's Brent Sadler is in Damascus with that story.</s>BRENT SADLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Syria without President Hafez al-Assad. The day after his state funeral, Damascus appears subdued, many businesses closed. In the packed</s>NABIL SUKKAR, ECONOMIST: He's succeeding a personality which is as big as a mountain, and I think everybody is going to make the comparison between him and his father.</s>SADLER: While Syrians expect a continuity of rule, change is also on the agenda. Syria is bogged down by economic recession. There are demands for modernization and liberalization in many fields. But can the would-be president afford to tackle gigantic domestic issues, build his power base and work on regional peace, all at the same time?</s>SUKKAR: It's not a one-man show. There are institutions in Syria. And he is going to have the support of the establishment. The establishment is behind him. A lot of the faces that served the president very well are going to be around helping Bashar. So I think he can afford and Syria should move on all fronts at the same time.</s>SADLER (on camera): Syria is on the threshold of a new era of leadership, but no one here expects overnight change. The late president was a cautious, slow-moving tactician, and while his son's style may appear modern, he was, say observers, still schooled in the old family ways. Brent Sadler, CNN, Damascus.