Syrian tycoon steps aside as Arab rulers seek alternative to crackdowns

Syria's President Bashar Al Assad appears to be turning more and more to a tiny coterie of relatives, the backbone of a family dynasty that has kept Syria's 22 million people living in fear for decades.(Ap photo)By JAMES M. DORSEY
AL ARABIYAIf Rami Makhlouf’s decision to quit business and take up charity means anything, it is that autocratic rulers like …