The New York Times, 2 February 2017 Some American friends wanted me to visit in the summer to speak about a book of my essays on Syria and the Syrian revolution that is about to be published. The prospect of traveling to the United States made me uneasy. I had heard stories of Syrians being…
The World of Syria, Syria of the World
Bhashabandhan Literary Review, 21 January 2017 As Syrians we have found ourselves thinking globally, not only because we are very bitter and angry at the world that left us to be killed for more than 2000 days, not because we know the world more than others, not because almost the whole world is literally in…
The Genealogy of ISIS
Aljumhuriya, 17 November 2016 – Translated by: Moayad Hokan Even though the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS, or Da’esh) emerged in Syria in 2013, its structure can be traced back to three historical layers across three geographies and influences, the earliest one being rooted in Afghanistan, followed by Iraq, and most recently, Syria.…
Majoritarian Syria: Justice in Conflict Resolution
Aljumhuriya, 20 October 2016 – Translated by: Yasser EzZayyat This article is addressed to an unidentified, moderately informed and well-meaning reader, and it suggests to them a vision for a just Syrian resolution, examining potential problems and hindrances in its path. What is a resolution in Syria? Syrians engaged in public affairs are always…
The World’s Naked Disgrace
Aljumhuriya – Translated by: Abdul-Wahab Kayyali On the third anniversary of the chemical massacre in Syria, this article discusses the criminals of the chemical attack, the criminals of the chemical deal, the close proximity between both criminals, and the Syrian state of today’s world. Only two weeks after the horrific chemical massacre on the dawn…
The Just Oppressors: Middle Eastern Victimhood Narratives and New Imagined Communities
Aljumhuriya, 9 June 2016 – Translated by: Abdul-Wahab Kayyali The only thing that rivals the amount of injustice in the Middle East is the region’s production of of victimhood narratives. Jews are victims, Arabs are victims, Kurds are victims, and so are Sunnis, Shiites, Alawites, and Christians. But if we are all victims, then who…
Syria and the World: Reactionarism is Back, and Progressing
Aljumhuriya, 19 February 2016 - Translated by: Shiyar Youssef and Alice Guthrie There is something deeply atavistic about the course that the Syrian conflict has taken. Its latest developments, in particular, take us back to a time prior to the formation of the contemporary Syrian entity at the end of the First World War –…
Syria and Western Powers: A Global Problem
alQuds Newspaper, 19 September 2015. Translated by The Free Syrian Translators Since the early days, the West’s handling of the Syrian conflict has had a set of characteristics that raise questions about the political and intellectual credibility of the elite and political leaders in the West. The first of these characteristics is dealing with outcomes, not the…
A tomb for one’s all being: The alterations of Syrian’s death and the changes of their life
Al-Jumhuriya, 17 July 2015. Translated by Murhaf Fares When individual humans die singly, among their living communities, they get buried individually. One grave for each person, no one shares ones grave with others. This could be a definition of humans, and it seems to be universally accepted, even though humans only agree a few things. We…