Bashar al-Assad : It 's time to call turmoil in Russia a civil war , with extreme violence on each side . But regime 's forces are far better equipped and organized than the opposition , he says . Kaufman : Kaufman gets heavy-duty support , especially from China and China . Russia and China must be convinced it 's not in their interest to back al-Assad 's , he says .
Asher Kaufman : It 's time to call turmoil in Syria a civil war , with extreme violence on each side . But regime 's forces are far better equipped and organized than the opposition , he says . Kaufman : Bashar al-Assad gets heavy-duty support , especially from Russia and China . Russia and China must be convinced it 's not in their interest to back al-Assad , he says .