The Shape of Things to Come!

If Ali ‘Abddlah and his two sons’ family has finally managed tofind outwhere they are, the family of Fateh Jamous is stilllooking, five days after his arrest.

This is the new style that Assef Chawkat, the head of the military security apparatus which we now know was behind the dramatic disappearance of Ali and his two sons, seems to have selected for dealing with all those dissidents who were daring enough to try to bridge the gulf between the internal and external opposition groups, even when their efforts were not necessarily that successful. For, unlike his former comrade in arms, Riyad al-Turk, Fateh’s enduring old-style communist predilections had already constrained his abilities to enter into serious dialogue or strike a serious deal with any of the existing groups in Europe. Continue reading “The Shape of Things to Come!” →

The Case for Regime Change in Syria (5)

According to reports coming out of Syria, security forces are currently laying siege to two different villages in the northern parts of the country, in the provinces of Idlib and al-Hassakeh to be specific. The two sieges are separate and have been instigated by two different sets of very local circumstances. In other words, there are no political overtones here.

Still, the two incidents are rather significant and quite ominous on two counts: the incompetence and corruption of the local authorities seem to lie at the heart of both incidents, and, in both cases, local authorities seem to be acting completely on their own, serving the interests of their various local leaders and being given a free hand by the central authorities. Continue reading “The Case for Regime Change in Syria (5)” →

Learning Democracy!

Many analysts and regional experts continue to assert that democracy in our region can only come in the aftermath of a long and well-planned and managed reform process and that for this reason we should really work to alleviate the various external pressures exerted on the various regimes in the region to give them more time to implement the needed reforms. Continue reading →

Lions & Mullahs!

Well, things are heating up again between the Assad regime and the “phantom” majority in Lebanon. Now we have allegations of espionage against the regime and threats to undermine the living standards in Lebanon on the table. As if the regime has not engaged in such tactics itself. Can’t you see the glowing white halo of innocence hovering above Syria every time you look at the world map? Continue reading “Lions & Mullahs!” →