With the head of the Syrian parliament announcing the formation of a committee in charge of formulating a new elections law, the “reform process” in the country is really proceeding along. Soon, we will have another born-obsolete elections law to be shelved next to the born-useless party laws, which in turn sits pretty cozy next to the born-redundant NGO laws, all to the ennoblement and joy of all those wonderful committee members who worked so hard to surpass our wildest expectations and prove that they are even more stupid that we had ever dared think. Continue reading “A Feast Full of Lies & Cannibals!”
Author: Ammar
A Syrian dreamer & dissident, not necessarily in that order.
The Witches of the Apocalypse!
Ibrahim Hmeidi has just published an interesting reportage dealing with the now celebrated phenomenon of the Kubaisi women, the orthodox sufi women movement founded by the Syrian scholar and teacher, Munira Kubaisi, AKA the Miss.
The movement which began in the early 60s in Damascus is now an international one with “centers” all over the world operating quietly, almost clandestinely sometimes, albeit, let me rush to say here, they are so far pretty apolitical and, as such, has no connection to any terror groups or activities. Continue reading “The Witches of the Apocalypse!”
Con Artists, the Moral High Ground and the Future of Syria!
My friends Scott Lazensky and Mona Yakoubian of the United States Institute for Peace are currently touring Syria meeting with various Syrian officials and dissidents in an attempt to present some assessment of the situation on the ground at this stage. Their visit, however, has given Syrian officials a golden opportunity to issue one denouncement of American policy after another and, more importantly, to make one ridiculous assertion after another. Continue reading “Con Artists, the Moral High Ground and the Future of Syria!”
The Case for Regime Change in Syria (4)
A point was raised in the Comments Section below to the effect that for every corrupt Alawite in the regime there is at least five corrupt Sunnis. I don’t dispute the veracity of this statement. For indeed it comes as a natural reflection of two facts: 1) demographics, that is, there are simply much more Sunnis in the country than Alawites, and 2) the politics of appeasement and co-optation, that is, if we you want to keep the Sunnis elite on the quiet side and ignore the abnormal fact of Alawite dominance of the military and the decision-making process, you have to ensure that they are corrupt. Continue reading “The Case for Regime Change in Syria (4)”
