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”
Tag: The Assad Regime
For Syrians, a Sense of Collective Identity Emerges Amid Battle for Reform
The U.S. called on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to stop the use of violence after government forces attacked protesters with live ammunition. Judy Woodruff discusses protesters’ demands and the government’s crackdowns with the International Crisis Group’s Robert Malley and democracy activist and blogger Ammar Abdulhamid. Continue reading “For Syrians, a Sense of Collective Identity Emerges Amid Battle for Reform”
Ammar Abdulhamid and Joshua Landis in a debate on Bloggingheads.tv
Joshua Landis (University of Oklahoma, Syria Comment) and Ammar Abdulhamid (Tharwa Foundation,Syrian Revolution Digest) speak about:
- The state of the revolution in Syria 4:58
- Without Bashar al-Assad, will Iraq-style sectarianism reign? 7:50
- Ammar: The opposition is refusing to fall into the trap of violence 7:42
- Best and worst case scenarios for the end of the regime 7:18
- If Assad goes, who will run the country? 7:36
- The future of Syria’s relationship with Iran and Israel 8:17
Unrest In Syria Raises Alarm In Washington
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.
The Ammar Abdulhamid Archive 