Syria’s Assad willing to lift emergency law

The Christian Science Monitor thinks I might be going too far for many Syrians by insisting on Assad’s departure. Admittedly such a call might be too early for some, but, knowing Assad and the nature of his regime, I am reading ahead:

But for many Syrians, any compromise that keeps Assad in power is not enough. Exiled Syrian dissident and activist Ammar Abdulhamid said that after numerous human rights abuses, the current Syrian regime has lost all legitimacy, and it has failed to deliver on its promises of reform for more than a decade. Continue reading “Syria’s Assad willing to lift emergency law” →

Syrians have broken the fear barrier

February’s ‘day of anger’ fizzled out, but protests in Deraa show Syria’s revolutionary spirit is now gathering pace.

Ammar Abdulhamid, guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 22 March 2011 11.36 GMT

What a difference six weeks make. Back in early February I was asked whether Syria would be next on the growing list of countries to witness a popular revolution. My answer, which came in the form of an article published on Comment is free, was, in essence, “not yet”. Continue reading “Syrians have broken the fear barrier” →

Time for Revolution, and Planning

Yeah, this is the time for revolutions and change: the peaceful variety. This is both exciting and exhausting. And since I am an advocate of patience and careful planning, and of leaving things in the hands of grassroots activists on the ground to guide us and decide on the right time for the move, I have to put up with all different sorts of accusations coming from my more hotheaded colleagues, those who champion revolutionary rhetoric but think that revolutionary action is nothing more than spontaneous social combustion instigated by repeated shouts of Allahu Akbar and Down With the Regime.

Syria is not ready for an uprising

The groundwork for Egypt and Tunisia’s days of rage took years. In isolated Syria, there is much grassroots work to be done.

Ammar Abdulhamid, guardian.co.uk, Monday 7 February 2011 11.00 GMT.

A “day of rage” called for by Syrian opposition members living abroad and scheduled for last Friday and Saturday came and went: the only mass presence detected on the streets of major cities in Syria was that of security forces. Continue reading “Syria is not ready for an uprising” →