Cliches about Syria: the sectarian war

Of course, one would normally not bother with the trivialities of columns by Thomas Friedman but this captured my attention because it is a cliche repeated in all Western media:  "The Assad regime deliberately killed demonstrators to turn this conflict into a sectarian struggle between the ruling minority Alawite sect, led by the Assad clan, and the country’s majority of Sunni Muslims. "  1) The Syrian regime is a repressive regime and would do anything to stay in power but; 2) why would the regime engage in sectarian warfare when the Alawites constitute no more than 14% of the population?  And if you survey the propaganda of the regime versus the propaganda of the Ikhwan-affiliated opposition and FSA, even on the freer social media, you will certainly reach an inescapable conclusion: that the opposition is the one that is resorting to sectarian venomous propaganda.  Both sides are vulgar and intense (and I receive hate mail from both sides), but the sectarian hateful language is without a doubt perfected by the side of the Ikhwan-affiliated opposition.  3) The article suggests as if the Asad clan wants to withdraw and retire in Latakia when the Asad's clan ambition all along has been to rule over all of Syria (and even Lebanon).  Sectarian language undermines such plans.  4) to suggest all that does not deny the sectarian bases of the regime and the sectarian appointments especially in the era of Hafidh Al-Asad.  Bashshar calculated that it would serve the regime's purposes better to broaden the base of key appointments although the prime minister remains (as was in the times of Hafidh) a figure head.