In less than a week Bashar al-Assad has managed to piss off both the French President, and Rep. Patrick Kennedy. Lebanon and human rights were the stumbling blocks, it seems. Bashar, unsurprisingly, wants complete freedom to screw everybody he wants to in these two countries, not to mention Iraq and Gaza. Some of us have known that for a long time, but some had to find out on their own, I reckon. But the end result is the same: it is the end of engagement, or at least, this particular foolish phase of it. Yes, there might still people around who wouldn’t mind wasting their time, but don't fear them. Rather urge them on, "engage the Assads please, we beg you." Meanwhile, let's prepare for the day when everybody is disillusioned. This game of engagement and disillusionment can go on for a very long time, time better spent, by those who give a real damn about change in Syria, preparing the grounds for an endgame.
Still, it is really great to see the Assads greeting the New Year with the usual show of defiant stupidity. I knew I could always count on them for entertainment, albeit a bloody and savage one: a circus maximus of the provinces I guess.
Patrick Kennedy is no Senator, he's a lowly Representative (and over his head at that).
Posted by: JoseyWales | January 02, 2008 at 11:22 AM
bashat and his minority regime is still enjoying the umbrella of the international community...no serious threat against him yet...here is the problem.
Posted by: Horani | January 02, 2008 at 11:19 PM
It's all right, Horani, no matter how difficult this may seem, but the solution will have to be imposed from inside. Meanwhile, the fact that Bashar's regime keeps casting doubts on its own legitimacy in international circles is pretty helpful. It will help us create the necessacy climate that would be amiable to seeing change in Syria.
Posted by: Ammar Abdulhamid | January 03, 2008 at 12:40 AM
Also Josey, I have made the necessary correction, thank you for pointing it out. In the initial version of the post, I mentioned Senator Spector as well, since he was the head of the congressional delegation in question, but I thought better of it, because Rep Kennedy was the focus of the controversy, not Spector. Somehow, I forgot to remove the title of Senator.
Posted by: Ammar Abdulhamid | January 03, 2008 at 12:44 AM
You know, the problem is that, while he enjoys screwing everybody around, all we do is enjoy speaking about that. Unfortunately, your ideas reach only a small portion of Syrian youth. Opposition still don't have a plan to spread their thoughts, and to unify people around the most noble purpose, the freedom of Syria.
Posted by: Free Man | January 06, 2008 at 10:58 AM
By the way, I've seen your interview at Al-Hurra TV a few days before, and it was great, specially when you talked about the violence thing, and that we're not giving the bloody Regime the what it wants, and I liked the clever way you used to speak to that "deputy" Mr.Habash, who is really a big bootlicker.
Posted by: Free Man | January 06, 2008 at 02:32 PM
Thanks Free Man, I've been getting a lot of good reviews for this interview, this is really encouraging. As for getting the message across to a wider segment of the population in Syria, this is indeed important, but let us not underestimate what a small but organized and dedicated group of activists can do. Last year was good for Tharwa as an organization, let's hope we can do better in 2008.
Posted by: Ammar Abdulhamid | January 06, 2008 at 03:43 PM
It's not about underestimating what a small group could possibly do, it's just that I feel and somehow I know that it's possible to have more and more people around, and all you need is a good way to get to let them know you better, and to know your ideas. It's really important to break this roadblock that keeps Syrian people tied to their fear and fanaticism.
Posted by: Free Man | January 06, 2008 at 04:56 PM
I agree and I think about that all the time. But, I am guardedly optimistic these days :)
Posted by: Ammar Abdulhamid | January 06, 2008 at 05:04 PM