Patrick Cockburn: Why war is marching on the road to Damascus June 5, 2012 by Fulcrum Damascus feels like a city expecting the worst to happen and seeing no way to avoid it. War is spreading across the country and is unlikely to spare the capital. Rebels speak of stepping up attacks in the city and could easily do so in the next few weeks. Patrick Cockburn. Independent on Sunday 3 June 2012 FulcrumShareTweetShare