Category: Democracy & Human Rights

Will Arab regimes reform themselves before the genie gets out of the lamp?

Tharwa Editorial

A few months ago, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak faced his country’s parliament and made a rather surprising gesture. He called for the formulation and adoption of a new bill allowing for multi-candidate presidential elections to take place for the first time in the history of that country.

A few days later, Syrian President, Bashar Al-Assad, addressed the Syrian parliament and announced the withdrawal of his country’s troops from neighboring Lebanon and promised that the Tenth Congress of the Baath Party will represent a “qualitative leap” for the country.  Continue reading “Will Arab regimes reform themselves before the genie gets out of the lamp?” →

Syria’s Baath Party Tries to Reform Itself

Quoted by the Associated Press

“That Baath Party went to the bank [should read: with a bang]. This Baath Party is going down with a shy whimper,” said Ammar Abdulhamid, a novelist and social analyst. “It’s ineffectual, so stop looking at it for leadership and stop looking at it as a source of change and reform.” … Continue reading “Syria’s Baath Party Tries to Reform Itself” →

Syria to ease state of emergency

Quoted by the BBC

“Most opposition groups have been calling for much more,” analyst Ammar Abdulhamid told the Associated Press news agency.

“For instance, we want the emergency law to be completely removed.”

Mr Abdulhamid, who used to work for the Brookings Institution, a Washington-based think-tank, added that the Baath party, which has been in power in Syria since 1963, would not introduce changes that might jeopardise its supremacy.