5733 Candidates to the People’s Assembly!

I guess this means that we have a free, fair and open democratic system. Syrians of the world (because only the world will have you now) rejoice!

And if that’s not sufficient reason for jubilation, let’s celebrate the President’s recent assertion to the Saudi newspaper al-Jazeerah that only Syrian courts can try Syrian suspects in connection to the Hariri assassination. For this must mean that we have a just and impartial judiciary system. Thousands of people in Old Damascus must feel quite safe knowing that. They have no reason to worry about anything. For when leonine justice prevails, that’s about the only thing you’ll have to worry about.

Rise up Syrians!

This is not about politics. This is not about who’s in and who’s out, who’s in power and who’s in jail or exile, who’s rich and who’s poor. This is about the love of a city and of country, this is about what makes us all tick, what gives us all a soul, what gives us an anchor in this turbulent world. This is about protecting the last vestiges of our historical identity. If we give up on Damascus now, we will become like drifting hollowed logs in a raging river, with nothing to look forward to but an approaching abyss.

Sign this petition to save Old Damascus. Have your say on this sordid affair. This is the least we can do.

Update: People protest against government plans on public radio.

Rosy Scenarios & Regional Realities!

The Saudis, led by prince Bandar, seems to be doing a really great job trying to break up the HISH Alliance. They are doing this by engaging both the weakest and strongest links in the Alliance. Indeed, and rather than trying to wean the proven hopeless Assads off of their dependence on Iran and Hezbollah, as the pro-engagement crowd in the US was want to do, the Saudis went straight to the source, to the puppet-masters themselves, and showed them the wisdom of divesting themselves from the pesky and troublemaking Assads. In the meantime, they managed to sponsor an important summit in Mecca in which they sponsored a deal between the warring factions in Gaza, and reestablished their patronage over the weakest link in the Alliance – Hamas. Continue reading →

The Unreasonable Heretic!

A friend told me not too long ago that some people tend to find my position on the Assads to be somewhat unreasonable. After all, some of their stands and policies, especially with regard to the peace process and the Arab-Israeli Conflict seem to reflect how the majority of people in Syria and elsewhere in the region and the world feel and think. So why we not support them on these matters? Wouldn’t this be the patriotic thing to do, regardless of how we feel about their internal policies? Continue reading “The Unreasonable Heretic!” →