Normalcy in Syria, a mere façade

Underneath the façade of normalcy that Syrian authorities are good at orchestrating for the benefit of their foreign visitors, the human rights situation in the country is in constant deterioration on account of continuous and intensified crackdowns. Indeed, Syrian jails now host the world’s oldest dissident (Haitham Al-Maleh, 80) and the world youngest (Tal Al-Mallouhi, 19). Indeed, the latter has not been seen by anyone since her arrest less than a year ago, and is rumored to have died under torture. Despite a massive international campaign demanding her release, Syrian authorities continue to withhold all information regarding her whereabouts and condition. Meanwhile, European and American leaders are busy engaging Bashar Al-Assad in the misplaced hope of breaking his regime’s long-term strategic alliance with Iran, and for this, they are willing to put up with the man’s murderous practices in Syria and across the region. Syria is an authoritarian state and the Assad regime is corrupt and repressive. The world should not be made to forget this fact, and the world’s free press should continuously highlight it. CNN needs to do a report to bring a semblance of balance to coverage related to Syria.

Of Liberty and Security!

Comment 1: In Syria we’ve been living under a state of emergency since 1963, because the ruling regime said we need to curb civil liberties to protect ourselves against Israel, the U.S. and the ghosts of the Netherworld. So, now we are neither free, nor “secure,” because the regime continues to abuse its powers by robbing the people and killing and jailing its critics, and Israel has over the last few decades occupied Syrian territories, bombed targets inside Syria, and carried out a variety of assassinations and incursions, and no one managed to stop her. End result: we should never believe those who promise security at the expense of liberty, because we will end up losing everything. So might as well, and in the words of Hamlet, “take up arms against a sea of troubles and by opposing end them,” because in the absence of liberty, peace and security are meaningless.

The Robber Lion!

Comment 1: Wonderful! After ten years of the reforms CHAMPIONED by Bashar Al-Assad, we now have plenty of new malls and a serious case of famine in Syria. We can now be robbed blind, while lulling foreign tourists into the belief that all is good and stable.

The Uncreative Court Jester!

Comment 1: Is Creative Ambiguity an effective response to Creative Chaos? Whatever the answer may be, we will be dealing with them for years to come, and their long-term impact could be equally destructive. (AA) “Beijing’s reluctance to commit to meaningful high-level military-to-military talks is part of an agenda to deliberately foster ambiguity — a well-established approach in both ancient and contemporary Chinese competitive thinking.” (Foreign Policy) Continue reading “The Uncreative Court Jester!” →