The descent into civil war has highlighted the crucial role of the Alawites, who make up just 12% of the population yet have held an iron grip on power for 42 years – and are sworn to defend the Assad regime until the bitter end They live in a sliver of land about 30 miles wide, trace their ancestry back to the Canaanites and swear allegiance to a totalitarian state, which serves as their protector. And, after more than 16 months of revolt in Syria, the country’s Alawite sect remains firmly at the heart of the regime’s fight to see off its challengers.

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