The Daily Star, 8 January 2005 Syrian attitudes toward the American election last November initially seemed contradictory. On the one hand many in the country displayed a greater than usual interest in the election itself; on the other, they displayed an inappropriately low interest in its potential results. But a closer look reveals that there…

The Daily Star, 2 November 2004 We ought to take seriously the findings of a recent global opinion poll in 23 countries and consider joining the citizens of the world in electing the next American president. Making this proposition a reality should be very simple since it rests on a fundamental and democratic tenet: decisions…

The Daily Star, 13 October 2004 While Syrian democrats cannot but rejoice at the prospect of a Syrian troop withdrawal from Lebanon, they regret that the partial withdrawal that took place recently from areas south of Beirut occurred as a result of heavy American and European pressure, not in response to the wishes of the…

The Daily Star, 26 August 2004 The debate currently taking place in Lebanon over the renewal or extension of the presidential mandate, and whether to amend the Lebanese Constitution to bring this about, raises only minimal interest in Syrian political circles. With the exception of a very small number of people at the very top…

The Daily Star, 3 August 2004 Just over a week after Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi visited Damascus, in the context of a regional tour of Arab states, it is worth examining what the get-together meant in terms of Syrian-Iraqi relations. Behind the kisses between Allawi and Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed Naji al-Utri lay Syria's desire…

The Daily Star, 7 July 2004 The June 12 letter that Elliott Engel and 11 other members of the US Congress addressed to the State Department, asking it to put pressure on the Syrian government to release from detention Aktham Nuaisah, the head of the Committees for the Defense of Democratic Liberties and Human Rights…