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.

The Electoral Game in an Authoritarian State!

What is the purpose of holding parliamentary elections or any sort of elections in authoritarian state? To deny that the state is authoritarian of course, and to be able to claim that the ruling regime does indeed represent the will of the people, that it is, therefore, legitimate. This claim to legitimacy becomes even more necessary when the state faces a crisis, especially when the crisis is directly related to the foolhardy policies enacted by the regime. Continue reading “The Electoral Game in an Authoritarian State!” →

A Heretic in the Wind!

A recent article in the Time paints me as the central figure of some cockamamie covert plot to overthrow the Syrian regime. But, and while I’d really like to see our illustrious regime overthrown and reconciled to the dustbin of history (to borrow a term that is so dear to the hearts of regime spokesmen),news of my involvement in such “sinister” plot come as news to me as well. I was never aware of that fact that I was that creative. I think I should take up writing again, soon. Continue reading →

Getting it Right!

First posted on my short-lived blog Tharwalizations.

Getting the right to vote is not a guarantor of anything, except a peaceful transfer of power. Women will not necessarily vote for women, and the best candidate in character and message do not necessarily win. Elections are above all about organization. Kuwaiti elections have been a mixed bag, reformist candidates won, but so did Islamist candidates, while not a single female candidate got elected, despite the fact that women were voting for the very first time in Kuwait history. All in all though, another important step on the path of democratization was just taken in Kuwait, but there is still much to learn.