Read all posts from ‘Syria – an outcry for democracy’

Arab  Spring, Act I: the seduction of straightforward revolutions. In December 2010, Mohammed Bouazizi, a street vendor in Sidi Bouzid, Tunisia, set fire to himself to protest against his treatment by the authorities when he tried to get back the wares they had confiscated. . This self-immolation in the name […]

Are Western democracies a role model for the Arab world? That’s a big question, with several points to consider. One obstacle that must be addressed is what I’ll call activist fatigue. It’s something that has become increasingly evident in the United States over the last few years, and it could […]

Interesting read about the current situation in Syria and what the “West” could do … The article ends: “The days ahead may be bloody, the struggle prolonged. But there is hope, at long last, for the dawn of democracy and the toppling of the tyrant.” Read more …

Syria is beset by an historic problem of weak state institutions, with the exception of those state and quasi-state forces through which the ruling Assad dynasty has exercised its power. The account offered by Seth Kaplan in A New U.S. Policy For Syria: Fostering Political Change in a Divided State offers […]

Ankara and some EU leaders had hoped the regime in Damascus could be coaxed onto a path of moderation and better relations. That was not to be. read more