For Syrians, a Sense of Collective Identity Emerges Amid Battle for Reform

PBS News Hour

The U.S. called on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to stop the use of violence after government forces attacked protesters with live ammunition. Judy Woodruff discusses protesters’ demands and the government’s crackdowns with the International Crisis Group’s Robert Malley and democracy activist and blogger Ammar Abdulhamid. Continue reading “For Syrians, a Sense of Collective Identity Emerges Amid Battle for Reform”

Ammar Abdulhamid and Joshua Landis in a debate on Bloggingheads.tv

Joshua Landis (University of Oklahoma, Syria Comment) and Ammar Abdulhamid (Tharwa Foundation,Syrian Revolution Digest) speak about:

White House rebuffs Syrian opposition

By Eli Lake, The Washington Times

“The White House has to date rejected our requests for stronger action on Syria,” Ammar Abdulhamid, an unofficial spokesman in the West for the Syrian activists organizing the widespread demonstrations, told The Washington Times.

Unrest In Syria Raises Alarm In Washington

Quoted in NPR

If Assad is seriously weakened or overthrown because of the current uprising, it will not only affect U.S. foreign policy. It is likely to have a spillover effect and upset the dynamic of the region, says Ammar Abdulhamid, a Syrian human-rights activist exiled in the U.S. and the founder of the Tharwa Foundation, an organization that promotes democracy in Syria.

“If the situation deteriorated in Syria as Assad himself is threatening … then frankly, Syria’s role in the future will become more and more of a destabilizing factor,” Abdulhamid says.