Syria Protests Set for Feb. 5: Will the 'Day of Rage' Mirror Egypt and Tunisia?

The wave continues to break.

With Facebook and Twitter providing the organizational fuel, anti-government demonstrations are sweeping across much of the Arab world. The next big test comes Saturday, when protests are planned to take place in Syria.

In anticipation of what might be a repeat of the unrest seen in Egypt and Tunisia, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad signaled that he understood the need for change.

"If you didn't see the need of reform before what happened in Egypt and Tunisia, it's too late to do any reform," Assad told the Wall Street Journal.

But whether most Syrian citizens believe Assad's assurances that the government will bring democratic reform this year remains to be seen.

On Facebook, activists are calling Saturday a "Day of Rage," mirroring the term used in Egypt, and have launched several pages calling for demonstrations. On Twitter, the Page AngrySyriaDay is attracting both English-language and Arabic-speaking followers. Unlike the demonstrations in Egypt and Tunisia, however, so far, not nearly as many people have indicated that they plan to protest.

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