A Canticle for the Masochists!

Another witness changing his testimony, political prisoners freed, some reform measures about to be announced, the Syrian regime’s strategy is clear: get the people to rally behind it. And they surely will. For the Syrian people desperately want to be fooled. And they surely will. Continue reading →

Dashing Gets a Lashing!

My former chief interrogator, Assef Shawkat , to whom I have referred as General Dashing in my earlier blog posts, has gotten his assets in the US frozen, in a symbolic move meant to demonstrate that the “family” is indeed “not off limits,” as far as this administration is concerned.

What does this mean at a time when the Syrian President is attempting to rally people to his side by freeing some political prisoners (while his agents are busy making more), and preparing to announce some important internal reforms, more likely in his upcoming speech this Saturday? Continue reading “Dashing Gets a Lashing!” →

Myth of the Golden Age

First posted on my short-lived blog Tharwalizations.

One of the main myths that seems to hamper all efforts at modernizing religious faiths, especially with regard to Islam, is the insistence on the concept of the Golden Age. This myth keeps the Muslim Community focused in its basic outlook on the past. As such, any effort at changing and modernizing Islam is often billed as an attempt at retrieving its erstwhile purity. Continue reading “Myth of the Golden Age” →

Chances Are!

For Khaddam, chances are he is simply too corrupt for other people in the opposition to approach. But, this also depends on how chooses to present himself to the opposition. Should he drastically temper and revise his expectations, he might have a chance of appealing to some. One thing is clear though:he will not be allowed to become the leader of the external opposition, no matter how highly he happens to think of himself. Continue reading →