Mock Interview!

A friend of mine has put together this “mock interview” based on a number of public and private talks that I have been recently giving in a number of think tanks and institutions. It does a pretty good job in summarizing where I stand these days on the issue of regime change in Syria.  Continue reading “Mock Interview!”

A Wild yet Likely Interpretation!

If the events of the last few days, including the refusal to allow six wanted officers to travel to Lebanon, the fiery speech given by the Syrian President and the ongoing freak show of “popular” demonstrations and jingoism, prove anything is that a coup has already taken place in Syria. Bashar al-Assad is obviously no longer in control. This is the Assef Chawkat Show now. Yes, General Dashing has finally stage his long-calculated and long-expected move. True, it did not materialize at the best possible time for him, but it did finally happen. He is calling the shots now. He is Number One. He is currently living the fulfillment, the epitome, of all his Machiavellian designs and calculations. The downside is that this couldn’t have come at a worse time, and his reign is bound to be quite short-lived. 

Continue reading “A Wild yet Likely Interpretation!”

Online Censorship in the Middle East and North Africa

Human Rights Watch has just issued its report on Online Censorship in the Middle East and North Africa. The Report dedicates a section for the situation in Syria in which I make a brief appearance revealing the identity of General Dashing to the World. Unfortunately, like so many others, obsessed with phonetic accuracy, they spell my name in a manner that few would recognize! Oh well…   Continue reading “Online Censorship in the Middle East and North Africa”