From Hama to Andijon – is dialogue with Islamists an impossibility?

Tharwa Editorial

Is dialogue with political Islam truly an impossible and futile undertaking as many “secular” regimes in the Region assert? Or does the real problem lie in the fact that authoritarian and corrupt regimes are simply unwilling to dialogue with anybody, regardless of their political affiliations?

Moreover, can such a dialogue take place between representatives of secular movements and Islamist ones? Continue reading “From Hama to Andijon – is dialogue with Islamists an impossibility?” →

Reform starts with a Lebanon withdrawal

Special to The Daily Star

The Syrian regime did not have to find itself in the precarious position it is in today, maligned by all for its behavior. It did not have to find itself facing sanctions imposed by the United States. It did not have to face United Nations Security Council Resolution 1559, calling for a Syrian pullout from Lebanon. And it did not have to face the outrage expressed after the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

Continue reading “Reform starts with a Lebanon withdrawal” →

Syria’s salvation is through reform

Special to The Daily Star

Despite the current mood of optimism prevailing in Syria due to the success of President Bashar Assad’s recent visit to Moscow, the country continues to face a very serious situation because of its poor relations with the United States and the international community. The Bush administration still denounces Damascus for what it says is Syrian meddling in Iraq; and the international community as a whole continues to deride Syria’s overt and well-documented interference in Lebanese affairs.

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Syrian media reform: a glass half full or half empty?

Special to The Daily Star

The Syrian media have not shown any serious signs of change since the Baath Party assumed power in a 1963 coup. Indeed, Syria’s media sector is one of the most tightly controlled in the Arab world. Most publications are state-owned, and rarely express nonconformist opinions. The coming to power of young President Bashar Assad in 2000 raised hopes that the regime would loosen the reigns significantly. But after a brief period of decompression in 2001 known as the “Damascus spring,” Assad enacted a publications law that consolidated government control; he allowed the licensing of just one “independent” political magazine, owned by the son of the minister of defense; and he cracked down hard on dissent. Continue reading “Syrian media reform: a glass half full or half empty?” →