Ammar attends President Obama’s speech on U.S. Policy in MENA

After weeks of demanding a strong statement by President Obama on the tragic developments in Syria, I was invited to attend his speech on U.S. policy towards the MENA region in view of the changes currently unfolding there. His references to Syria were encouraging, but were still below expectations, as he failed to call on Assad to leave. Nonetheless, one cannot expect President Obama to take such drastic step until the opposition got its act together. After which, I was interviewed at some length by The Washington Post. Continue reading “Ammar attends President Obama’s speech on U.S. Policy in MENA” →

Protests Will Only Grow, Democracy Activist Predicts

Quoted by NPR

Ammar Abdulhamid, a Syrian living in exile in the United States who writes about the democracy movement there and has become an informal spokesman for those who oppose the Assad regime, told All Things Considered host Robert Siegel today that the Syrian president and those in his regime must step down because today’s crackdown and killings show that they are not serious about any of the concessions they have offered in recent days.

And Abdulhamid predicted that the protests will only continue to grow as more Syrians turn against the regime because of its violent response to the protesters’ demands. Continue reading “Protests Will Only Grow, Democracy Activist Predicts” →

White House rebuffs Syrian opposition

By Eli Lake, The Washington Times

“The White House has to date rejected our requests for stronger action on Syria,” Ammar Abdulhamid, an unofficial spokesman in the West for the Syrian activists organizing the widespread demonstrations, told The Washington Times.

Unrest In Syria Raises Alarm In Washington

Quoted in NPR

If Assad is seriously weakened or overthrown because of the current uprising, it will not only affect U.S. foreign policy. It is likely to have a spillover effect and upset the dynamic of the region, says Ammar Abdulhamid, a Syrian human-rights activist exiled in the U.S. and the founder of the Tharwa Foundation, an organization that promotes democracy in Syria.

“If the situation deteriorated in Syria as Assad himself is threatening … then frankly, Syria’s role in the future will become more and more of a destabilizing factor,” Abdulhamid says.