On May 15, and as part of the program for launching the Freedom Collection in Washington, D.C., I was invited by the director of the George W. Bush Presidential Center, to introduce President Bush by way of highlighting the tragedy currently unfolding in Syria. This was my introduction:
Tag: United States
What to Do About Syria?
Event Summary
In light of the ongoing crisis in Syria, three experts discussed the events on the ground there, U.S. policy options for the country, the role of Iran in the crisis, and what actions should be taken by the U.S. and international community. On May 9, the Middle East Program hosted a meeting on “What to Do About Syria?” with Ammar Abdulhamid, Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies; Steven Heydemann, Senior Advisor for Middle East Initiatives at the U.S. Institute of Peace; and Barbara Slavin, Washington Correspondent for Al-Monitor and Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council. Haleh Esfandiari, Director of the Middle East Program at the Wilson Center, moderated the event. Continue reading “What to Do About Syria?”
Many Skeptical Syria Cease-Fire Will Hold
“We wanted to give them a little time despite the fact that so many people are dying on the ground and in the streets that it is necessary to give the international community some time to find out if diplomacy is not going to work,” explained Syrian activist Ammar Abdulhamid. … Some in the opposition say that neither diplomacy nor military force alone will bring down the Assad government. Ammar Abdulhamid says they must be used together. “When there is an actual threat of force or force being used, I think then we might see the possibility of the Assads listening because they can see a threat,” Abdulhamid added. “They can see the seriousness of the international community. They don’t just hear words.”
The hunt for ‘plan B’ – planning for ‘the day after’ in Syria
A mention in CNN Security Blog:
Syrian activist Ammar Abdulhamid, a fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies in Washington, is trying to bridge the gap between the exiles and those Syrians on the ground. He’s bringing together small groups of Syrian experts to brainstorm ideas for a transition, which he is feeding to opposition groups on the ground in Syria who the United States is now trying to reach. “We don’t have a political agenda and aren’t tabling a plan,” Abdulhamid said. “This is to raise public awareness and highlight the issues we are going to be facing once Assad falls. There needs to be a public debate and we want to empower Syrians to do that.”
The Ammar Abdulhamid Archive 