I Am Syrian

American Public media – The Story

Today Dick talks with Ammar Abdulhamid and his family. Dick first talked to Ammar three years ago. At the time, Ammar was living in Damascus, running a small publishing house and writing and doing whatever he could to push along the process of reform in Syria. It was dangerous work. Now Ammar is living and writing in the United States. He moved his entire family here, and they all continue to write about Syria, even the teens. Each family member has a blog. They find blogging a way to communicate to the world, and each other.

Leaving Syria: Ammar Abdulhamid

Interview with NPR

Syrian dissident Ammar Abdulhamid is a visiting fellow with the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution. He says that while growing up in Syria in the ’70s and ’80s, it wasn’t fears of an Israeli attack that kept him up at night. His concern was the dreaded Syrian security apparatus and certain government officials.

Interview on Fresh Air with Terry Gross

Broadcast Date: August 1, 2006

The New York Times Foreign Affairs columnist Thomas Friedman and Syrian dissident Ammar Abdulhamid on this edition of Fresh Air. Friedman’s just returned from Syria. He is a three-time recipient of the Pulitzer Prize. In 2002 he won for his “clarity of vision, based on extensive reporting, in commenting on the worldwide impact of the terrorist threat”. Friedman was awarded the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for his international reporting from Lebanon and the 1988 Pulitzer Prize for international reporting from Isreal. His most recent book is The World is Flat: A Brief History of the 21st Century. He’s also the author of From Beirut to Jerusalem and The Lexus and the Olive Tree: Understanding Globalization. Ammar Abdulhamid is a visiting fellow with the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution.

A Casual Exchange with a Young and Inquisitive Mind!

Over the last few days, with a young man from the good old country.

Can you elaborate on the recent decision by the Bush Administration to allocate 5 million USD to fund the activities of the Syrian opposition?

In general, the sum involved is too miniscule really to finance any serious effort at destabilizing the Syrian regime, but it could help finance some small-scale meetings, travels, and the production of some necessary literature to explain the opposition’s point of view. Continue reading “A Casual Exchange with a Young and Inquisitive Mind!” →