Initiative to End the Civil War in Syria – An amended version

isis oil map (1)

This new and amended version of the Tharwa Initiative to End the Civil War in Syria reflects feedback from a large number of activists and opposition members  from inside and outside the country that Tharwa received since the launch of the preliminary version on June 30, 2015. The next phase seeks to publicize the Initiative on the international level.  (Arabic Version)

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Neither an Idiot, nor a Wise Man

President Obama might have reached a rational deal with Iran, but the price-tag, namely: the dissolution of Syria, undermines its hypothesized potential for delivering a more stable and peaceful Middle East.
President Obama might have reached a rational deal with Iran, but the price-tag, namely: the dissolution of Syria, undermines its hypothesized potential for delivering a more stable and peaceful Middle East.

No. President Obama is not an idiot, and the deal that he just reached with Iran over its nuclear program will give the United States much more than it has given up, changing the face of the Middle East in the process. Perhaps, Europe will have in Iran another potential source of natural gas, breaking their reliance on Russia. Perhaps the strategic advantages for the U.S. and Europe are much larger that than whatever compromises they had to make in regard to Iranian ambitions.

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The Price Tag

Iranian women flash a heart sign during celebration in northern Tehran on 14 July 2015.
Iranian women flash a heart sign during celebration in northern Tehran on 14 July 2015.

What’s happening to Syria, and not simply in Syria, has been described by UN officials as the worst humanitarian disaster since WWII. In regional terms, this is also the worst disaster since the Palestinian Nakba, irrespective of how one allots blame for that one.

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The Never Ending Struggle, Part…

(Photo: Carlos Barria, AP)
(Photo: Carlos Barria, AP)

Back in 2003, I was against plans for the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, and I made my objections known and clear in a variety of forums. But once it became clear that the invasion was proceeding irrespective of my stands and those of my colleagues, I wished it well and, wanting it to succeed, I tried in my capacity as an activist, no matter how small, marginal and limited, to help the democratization and state-building efforts through our work at the Tharwa Project. After all, the brunt of failure, as I argued then,  will be borne mostly by the Iraqi people, and the prodemocracy activists working around the region, as later developments have clearly demonstrated. How can I wish for U.S. failure then?

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