NOW Lebanon, 7 September 2011 Yassin Al Haj Saleh is a Syrian writer and political dissident who is wanted by the Syrian regime for his pro-democracy activism and has been in hiding since the popular uprising—and the government’s subsequent bloody crackdown—began this spring. Saleh already knows well the kind of retribution the Syrian government doles…
The Syrian “Common”: The Uprising of the Working Society
Jadaliyya, 14 August 2011 The ongoing Syrian uprising has paradoxical effects on Syrian society. On the one hand, it is an unparalleled opportunity for political education and for gaining a better understanding of the country’s affairs in general. On the other, it raises the human cost of the political transformation that an increasing percentage of…
Où sont passés les partis d’opposition ?
Courrier international (Al-Hayat) – 26 mai 2011 En plus des morts, dont le nombre dépasse très certainement les chiffres avancés, il faut parler des milliers de prisonniers. Ceux-ci sont soumis à des tortures gravissimes et subissent des traitements d’une sauvagerie extrême. On leur arrache les ongles (y compris aux enfants), on leur casse les dents…
A Political Farce
Qantara.de, 15 May 2011 The point that the speakers for the Syrian regime are currently insisting on is evidently that the actions taken by the military and the security forces are aimed at organised armed gangs operating within the country. This assertion has become the foundation for the official version of what is happening in…
Prominent dissident writer says country is ripe for change
Los Angeles Times, 21 April 2011 Protests continue to convulse the streets of Syria, and the demonstrations that erupted last month have come to pose the greatest challenge to President Bashar Assad's 11-year rule. Yassin Haj Saleh, a prominent Syrian writer who spent 16 years in prison as a political dissident, has attended demonstrations in…
Prisoner of Damascus
Le monde arabe a brisé ses carcans mentaux
Courrier international (Al-Hayat) – 10 mars 2011 Les révolutions qui ont eu lieu en Egypte et en Tunisie remettent en question les règles politiques, la culture et le climat psychologique qui ont marqué le monde après les attentats du 11 septembre 2001. Plus précisément, le nihilisme islamiste représenté par Al-Qaida ainsi que le débat autour du “changement…
A General Socio-Political View of Contemporary Syrian Society
Strategic Research and Communication Centre, 10 October 2010 Analysis article reviewing the factors and events that has transformed the social and political structure in the Syrian society leading to its contemporary state. Syria has been experiencing dramatic change since the year 2000. Exposure to globalisation, transition into new social economy, and the information age were…
Journey into Memory
Drivers of U.S. Syrian Relations Under the Obama Administration
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 17 June 2009 The failures of the Bush Doctrine and the global economic crisis will shape the Obama administration’s Middle East policies in its first two years. While economic recovery is increasingly the administration’s top priority, there are indications that diplomacy and reconciliation efforts will determine Washington’s new strategy in…