Heretical Ramblings!

Running forward is not an art that this regime is capable of learning. The only thing our “leaders” can do in times of crises is fall back on old positions and stances, burying their heads in the sand hoping the crisis will blow over in time leaving them unharmed – the country and the people do not, of course, matter.

 

The main source of income, after oil, for our “leaders,” the cash flow that fill their coffers, is, as many people should know by now, drugs: hasheesh and opium to be specific. Since the main center of production for these “crops” is located in the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon, how can this regime ever be expected to pull out of that beleaguered country?  Continue reading “Heretical Ramblings!”

Syria: De-Baathification from the Top?

A regime caught in the throes of self-reinvention
Syrian Studies Association Newsletter 

The months that followed the US-led invasion of Iraq witnessed mounting pressures on the neighboring country of Syria and its ruling Baathist regime. These pressures, in many ways, came as a result of the Syrian regime’s combative stands vis-à-vis the United States during the early stages of the invasion and its support of the nascent insurgency against it, and were thus aimed at forcing the regime to reverse its policies. Soon, however, the scope of change demanded of the Syrian regime expanded to include its backing of outlawed Palestinian groups and its continued dabbling in Lebanon’s internal affairs and its support for Hezbollah’s activities there. Continue reading “Syria: De-Baathification from the Top?”

The time for sacrificing is over

Ammar Abdulhamid & Elias Aoun / Special to The Daily Star

Earlier this week there was agreement at the UN Security Council over a presidential statement reaffirming the clauses of Security Council Resolution 1559 approved in September and calling for the withdrawal of all foreign forces from Lebanon. This has forced Syria to face a critical decision: either to maintain its military presence in Lebanon and deny it is an “occupier,” or pursue a new path aimed at respecting its neighbor’s sovereignty. Continue reading “The time for sacrificing is over”