May 6: Thousands of Syrians rally on a "Day of Defiance."
May 28: Pro-democracy activists call for fresh protests after the alleged torture and killing of a 13-year-old boy by security forces in Daraa.
May 31: Assad announces an amnesty for political prisoners.
June 3: At least 65 civilians killed, including 60 in the Hama region.
June 5: At least 40 people killed by security forces, mainly in the northwest town of Jisr al-Shughur.
June 6: State television says 120 policemen were killed by "armed gangs" in Jisr al-Shughur. Activists speak of a mutiny at a local security headquarters.
June 8: Syrians fearful of reprisals pour out of Jisr al-Shughur, with hundreds seeking sanctuary in neighbouring Turkey.
June 12: Syrian troops seize Jisr al-Shughur and say they have found of a mass grave containing the mutilated bodies of 10 security agents.
June 18: Tanks enter a village bordering Turkey, where 10,000 Syrians have sought refuge.
June 19: Opposition activists said they have set up a "National Council" against the Damascus regime.
June 20: Assad says dialogue could lead to a new constitution and even the end of his Baath party's monopoly on power but refuses to reform Syria under "chaos," as the opposition says the "revolution" goes on.
June 23: The European Union targets three Iranians in fresh sanctions.
June 24: Syrian security forces shoot dead 18 protesters.
June 26: Syrian troops push towards the Lebanese border at Kseir.
June 28: The opposition meets in Damascus.
June 30: Hundreds of pro-democracy protesters demonstrate in Syria's second city Aleppo.
July 1: Security forces kill at least 28 people as more than half a million people protest in Hama.
July 2: Assad sacks the governor of Hama.
July 6: Amnesty International accuses the regime of crimes against humanity during a deadly crackdown over a pro-democracy protest in a border town of Tall Kalakh in May.
July 7: Families flee Hama where 25 civilians have been killed in three days by security forces.
July 8: Thirteen civilians killed by security forces a day after the US ambassador visits Hama, where hundreds of thousands of opponents demonstrate. Since the beginning of the protests more than 1,300 civilians have been killed, according to rights groups.
The Obama administration should continue to ratchet up its rhetorical condemnation of Syrian violence. It may use the threat of International Criminal Court referral and targeted sanctions to encourage regime defections. But increasing pressure is not enough. Instead, it should continue to focus on a regional and international approach, in cooperation with regional partners such as Turkey, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the Arab League, designed to create a real alternative to the seemingly unstoppable descent into brutality and rebellion. Call the embassies of these regional partners and ask them to pressure Syria to initiate new reforms, with new heads of state. Until the Syrian people are free of an Al-Assad, they will never be free.