The Russian Proposal: Opportunity or Trap?

Published on NOW: September 10, 2013

This article published yesterday in NOW elaborates on a recent Facebook status, but it is obviously dated now after the Obama’s speech. Things are moving quickly and writing on current affairs is not easy. Still, the argument is the same: if President Obama truly believes in what he is peddling – that Assad needs to be punished, and eventually ousted – then, he needs to find a way to retrieve the initiative and launch his heralded limited strikes which, knowing the fragility of the Assad regime, will have a major impact on the conflict. Continue reading “The Russian Proposal: Opportunity or Trap?” →

In Syria, the punishment must fit the crime

NOW Lebanon

If the purpose of the looming U.S.-intervention in Syria is to restore America’s credibility, and more specifically President Obama’s, which has suffered measurably on the international scene as a result of his foot-dragging over the last two and a half years, then a limited intervention will prove insufficient and will surely backfire. Continue reading “In Syria, the punishment must fit the crime” →

Syria: the method and the madness

NOW Lebanon

There is method to the madness that is currently unfolding in Syria. When you consider the patterns and timing of arms flows into the country, consider who the final recipients are, and consider when certain battles start and stop, when certain explosions or massacres happen, you can only come to this conclusion. Continue reading “Syria: the method and the madness” →

Why nonviolence failed in Syria

NOW Lebanon | A longer version is available here.

Many people in Syria and across the world continue to wonder why the Syrian uprising took such a violent turn, despite the bravery and selflessness of so many of the early protest leaders. Indeed, the development seems to have come as a result of a sophisticated strategy implemented by the Assad regime from the outset. Understanding this strategy, rather than lamenting the situation, as so many nonviolence advocates and theoreticians continue to do, might help prevent its replication elsewhere. Continue reading “Why nonviolence failed in Syria” →