No Time to Waste

Tharwa Editorial

Maashouq and Qassir – two assassinations in the span of a week. Someone out there is making it quite clear for one and all that there is no room for dialog or negotiations. Indeed, a war has obviously been declared against the voices of reason and moderation in the Region, one that is likely to have disastrous consequences for the immediate future.

For the voices of reason and moderation in this bedlam Region have always been too few, a determined effort to silence them in this manner could produce the “desired” results in a relatively short period of time, leaving the Region to be torn apart by the dark forces of ignorance, avarice and extremism.  Continue reading “No Time to Waste”

Some thoughts on a mundane Baath event

Special to The Daily Star

Syria has been abuzz with all sorts of nasty and hopeful rumors regarding the Baath Party congress that will begin today. Some predict that a virtual coup will take place as a result. Others, claiming to present a more sober assessment of the potential outcome, assert that only a few, albeit important, reform measures will be adopted. But these measures, they argue, are simply bound to pave the way for more critical developments in the years to come. “Years” being the operative word here.  Continue reading “Some thoughts on a mundane Baath event”

Preempted, Yet…

Indeed, despite the fact that the Atassy 8 were released hours prior to the publication of this article, the main thrust of the article and its main arguments still hold true. I stand by each and every word.

Now that most of the work on the expansion of the Tharwa Team’s Projects has been accomplished, I can now free some time to writing articles and editorials once more. Heaven help us all. Continue reading “Preempted, Yet…”

Mr. Assad, take down our wall

Special to The Daily Star

On May 24, at around 6:00 am, the Syrian authorities arrested all eight members of the board of directors of the Jamal Atasi Forum for Democratic Dialogue in Syria. The forum was the only tolerated independent political forum left in the country, and the only one to survive the earlier crackdown on political dissent that the regime organized in 2001, putting an end to the so-called “Damascus spring.”  Continue reading “Mr. Assad, take down our wall”