Text of speech introducing President Bush at Freedom Collection launch in D.C.

Good morning. My name is Ammar Abdulhamid. I am a Syrian dissident. In September 2005, I was forced to leave my country for criticizing President Bashar Al-Assad.

In exile I have lived in Washington with my loving family: my wife, Khawla, our daughter, Oula, and our son, Mouhanad. Together, with help from our friends here and in Syria, and with funding from the Middle East Partnership Initiative, a program established by President George W. Bush, we launched a foundation dedicated to supporting pro-democracy activists in Syria and across the Middle East. Continue reading “Text of speech introducing President Bush at Freedom Collection launch in D.C.” →

What to Do About Syria?

A Woodrow Wilson Center Event

Event Summary

In light of the ongoing crisis in Syria, three experts discussed the events on the ground there, U.S. policy options for the country, the role of Iran in the crisis, and what actions should be taken by the U.S. and international community. On May 9, the Middle East Program hosted a meeting on “What to Do About Syria?” with Ammar Abdulhamid, Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies; Steven Heydemann, Senior Advisor for Middle East Initiatives at the U.S. Institute of Peace; and Barbara Slavin, Washington Correspondent for Al-Monitor and Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council. Haleh Esfandiari, Director of the Middle East Program at the Wilson Center, moderated the event. Continue reading “What to Do About Syria?” →

Launching the Freedom Collection

On March 28, 2012, I was invited to Dallas, Texas, again to take part in the official launching of the Freedom Collection, an “effort to document the struggle for human freedom and democracy around the world, which presents “a central feature of the Human Freedom initiative at the George W. Bush Institute.” During the event, I, alongside a number of colleagues from around the world, were given a special recognition by Mr. an Mrs. Bush for our efforts to highlight the cause of our people, and were told that we will be among the first to be interviewed for the Freedom Collection. Continue reading “Launching the Freedom Collection” →

Listening to the Syrian Resistance

On February 15, at the headquarters of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, I helped set up a conference call via Skype that introduced rebel leaders from Damascus and Its Suburbs to a host of policy experts from Washington. This is Cliff May’s take on the event. Cliff is the president of FDD.