Empowering Syrian Civil Society

Submitted as part of a panel on Syria at the BRISMES 2011 Conference.

When I initially started writing this paper things in Syria were relatively calm, with President Bashar Al Assad stating that an uprising in Syria, as had been witnessed in numerous Arab countries, including Tunisia and Egypt, was unlikely to transpire in the same way. There was an overwhelming silence on the Syrian streets which was explained, at least in part and to varying degrees, on two main levels, socio-economic or internal factors and political and ideological or external factors.  If we are to first consider the latter, which would include such things as the government’s cool relations with the West, the subsequent sanctions placed upon it, its lack of a relationship with Israel and its unwillingness to submit to foreign demands – we would find that most are perceived as a strength of the Syrian government which gained significant support of the Syrian people. The socio-economic issues that were attributed to the silence on the streets were the recent introductions of subsidies to public workers, aid to the poorest families, and certain changes, reforms and concessions which opened up the country to a number of products and services that had previously been completely inaccessible, most notably the internet and foreign investment and trade – which were perceived to at least temporarily ease the needs of the people.

In addition to these factors, Assad appeared to be aware of the need for political and social reform while being perceptive of the particularities of Syrian society. He was fast learning that times had changed and that immediate action was needed, showing himself to be up to the learning curve that a number of other Arab leaders had failed to embark upon. According to Assad, those governments which only attempt to make changes and bring in reforms as a result of these recent events taking place across the Arab world, are already too far behind and are unlikely to be impervious to the expression of discontent by their own people. In this way, his initial reactions to the events taking place in neighbouring Arab countries seemed to present a unique opportunity for real change to occur. Assad’s articulation of a reformist agenda and the steps already taken towards implementing a number of these reforms, resulted in, as Sadiki highlights, many of us giving him the benefit of the doubt, in contrast to Gaddafi or Mubarak. However it seemed that the dissatisfaction of the Syrian people was greater than perceived, and their desire for opportunities, representation, equality and empowerment was far greater than anticipated. These minor concessions that had been made by the Syrian government were clearly not enough to hold back the infectious[1] feelings and desires for freedom. Unfortunately, our perception of the moderate position of Assad was also erroneous, with the responses of the Syrian government towards peaceful protestors being extreme, violent and indiscriminate.

 

To Continue Reading this Article, click here.

A New Arab Nahda?

An extract from the first chapter…

Throughout history, across continents, in discourse and in practice human beings have been searching for the ideal.[1] The ideal situation in which we can live to our full potential within the constricts of our tragic reality. An ideal that is unlikely to ever truly be achieved, however, it would seem that this ideal should always be something to strive towards. The West overwhelmingly appears to suppose that they have reached the ideal – democracy – they are the free world, they are the developed world. They are in essence Kant’s strongest nations, they can tell their people that they are free to say what they like but they must… Obey! We can express our discontents, but how often are any of these discontents ever appeased? On the contrary, you have certain nations, Syria for example, that unlike Kant promotes the use of private reason, for you can do anything you like, but do not express your discontents for you have no role in the state! Public reason in this case is not an option. Neither situation is satisfactory or acceptable.

To Continue Reading…

---

[1] Although we must always have a critical approach to the ‘ideal’.

An Inspiration of the Arab Revolutions….

Standing with the Tunisian and Egyptian People….

 

To the Tyrants of the World

 

Hey you, oppressive tyrants…
You, the lovers of darkness…
You, the enemies of life…
You have ridiculed innocent people’s wounds
Your palm is soaked with their blood
You kept walking
Deforming the magic of existence
Planting seeds of sadness in their land

Wait! Don’t let the spring, the clearness of the sky or the light of dawn fool you…
Because the darkness, the thunder’s rumble and the blowing of the wind are coming toward you…
from the horizon
Beware because there is a fire underneath the ash…
and he who grows thorns reaps wounds

Look there, for you have harvested the heads of mankind and the flowers of hope, and have watered the heart of the earth with blood
Soaked it with tears until it was drunk
The river of blood will sweep you away
The fiery storm will devour you

 

Abul Qasim Al-Shabbi, Tunisian Poet

Update: Namir Noor Eldeen, Collateral Murder and the Digitised ‘Other’

The ‘uncertain’ circumstances that surrounded the deaths of Namir Noor Eldeen and Saeed Chmagh in Iraq on July 12^th 2007 are no longer so uncertain with the recent release of ‘Collateral Murder’ by WikiLeaks on April 5^th 2010. The victims’ families have spent nearly three years waiting for some form of explanation to the events that lead to the death of their loved ones. Reuters had been appealing to gain access to the video footage under the Freedom of Information Act, with continued refusal.  However, the revealing of actual events, although illuminating, still leave many questions unanswered and provoke many more troubling questions.

In 1983, Ronald Reagan pondered upon the usefulness of video games for war training “I recently learned something quite interesting about video games. Many young people have developed incredible hand, eye, and brain coordination in playing these games. The air force believes these kids will be our outstanding pilots should they fly our jets.”

Unfortunately, Reagan was right; the resemblance between the recently released footage of the murder of two Reuters employees by US Apache helicopter pilots and our own experience of video war games is irrefutable. The advancement in technologies and enhanced imagery in video gaming, over the last two decades has made the distinction between virtual reality and reality increasingly ambiguous. The shocking images and audio footage of this tragic event expose the surreal nature of war and the extreme ease with which these cowardly game-like attacks are undertaken.

The torturous display of the intimate struggle for life in contrast to the distant disregard for it only signifies the almost complete dissolution of humanity into the abyss of ignorance, segregation and separation. As a result, the almost digitised ‘other’ is defaced and dehumanised, making it easier than ever to eliminate “those bastards”, who deserve nothing more than a chuckle and a cheer for their demise.

As of yet, no official response has been provided.

GENOCIDE IN GAZA: Heinsohn’s Proxy War Against The Palestinians

“The atrocities committed by Israel is a genocide of a conquered people. Gaza is a concentration camp and no amount of PR can reduce the magnitude of this horrible crime against humanity and decency”.[i]

The ‘Youth Bulge’ theory that Gunnar Heinsohn feverishly promotes is far from legitimate in an analysis of any society, let alone a society like Gaza, which is riddled with poverty and war and whose citizens, as a result of the illegal Israeli occupation, have no freedom of movement. The theory suggests that in countries where at least 30% of the male population is aged between 15-29, there is a tendency for these young men to “eliminate each other or get killed in aggressive wars until a balance is reached between their ambitions and the number of acceptable positions available in their society.”[ii]  Even at first glance, this theory is clearly far too reductionistic and does not take into consideration the many complicated and interrelated factors that determine the make up of Palestinian society – for instance, the overriding impact of the Occupation on the very possibility of ‘acceptable positions’ in the first place. It is interesting to note that the ‘youth bulge’ theory has become highly influential on US Foreign policy with two key consultants to the US Government, Jack Goldstone and Gary Fuller, ardently supporting it.[iii]   

View the full article here.

[i] Bakhtiar, A. (10 January 2009). The Source of Arabs’ Shame: Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. http://www.dissidentvoice.org/2009/01/the-sources-of-arabs%E2%80%99-shame-egypt-jordan-and-saudi-arabia/

[ii] Heinsohn, G. (12 January 2009). Ending the West’s Proxy War Against Israel.  http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123171179743471961.html#articleTabs%3Darticle

[iii] Hendrixson, A. (December 2004). Angry Young Men, Veiled Young Women. The Corner House. http://209.85.229.132/search?q=cache:7Umg6onhVb4J:www.thecornerhouse.org.uk/item.shtml%3Fx%3D85999+youth+bulge+theory+and+us+foreign+policy&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=14&gl=uk

---

Dear American Voter

I recently returned to the UK from Syria, where I went to visit my parents who have now retired there. It is truly one of the most beautiful countries I have ever encountered, although undoubtedly it has its flaws and weaknesses. Apart from a number of cultural differences, what I realised most of all was the fundamentally universal nature of being human, the striving to simply live. Waking up every morning, earning money, consuming, loving your family, socialising with friends, trying everything in your power to make ends meet while at the same time attempting to enjoy and make the most of the short, temporary and precious life we each have been given.

 

It is difficult, amongst the welter of distracting images that obscure contexts and omit the real faces of people and places, to think of an ‘other’ as anything more than that. Instead Dear American Voter, I ask you to put a face on the victims of the US Government, because they are no different from you. We may pray differently, but we do not love differently and we do not suffer differently.

 

To view the complete letter go to: http://tamaraalom.wordpress.com/dear-american-voter/

In Search of an Alternative…

Iraq is in chaos, with no end to the war in sight. Palestine, or rather what are now called the Palestinian territories, have been divided into Fatah and Hamas controlled areas. Lebanon, a year after last summer’s war, is politically, economically and socially weakened. Syria, accused of supporting terrorists and purchasing Russian made anti-aircraft missiles, is under the threat of a possible attack from Israel and/or America. Meanwhile Saudi Arabia and a number of other Gulf states have signed an arms deal with the US worth twenty billion dollars. A look at the state of affairs across the Middle East necessitates the asking of certain questions, namely how we, as Arab nations, have ended up in this situation and how on earth we are meant to get out of it.

“Write down, I am an Arab!” wrote Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish in 1963…

To view the full article, visit:

http://tamaraalom.wordpress.com/history-the-middle-east-in-seach-of-an-alternative/ 

Constructing Reality : The Palestinian-Israeli Conflict

A Comparative Analysis of the BBC, CNN and Al Jazeera

The aim of this study is to examine the mainstream media’s[1] representation of the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict and to test if the media sources under investigation are subjected to the filters of the Propaganda Model developed by Chomsky and Herman. In order to do this an analysis of Al Jazeera, BBC and CNN was carried out on articles published on their respective news websites for a period of two months [21^st January - 21^st March], a total of 137 articles were analysed. The main findings of this study were that each of the news sources, although similar in story coverage, differed significantly in content, specifically relating to humanitarian issues. The overall content of the articles was a clear indication of the ideological constraints of each of the news sources.

To see the complete study, visit:

http://tamaraalom.wordpress.com/constructing-reality/

US & Middle East Relations

The majority of issues that are dominating international politics and international relations relate to the US and the Middle East, therefore it is essential to examine the issues that have influenced the fragile relationship between the world’s super power, the United States and the ever so important Middle East.  This article aims not to give any solutions to the problems that face the world, but rather looks at the reasons for the underlying animosity felt between these parts of the world.

To view the complete article, visit:

http://tamaraalom.wordpress.com/us-middle-east-relations/ 

Propaganda and the ‘War on Terror’

Theorists of democratic society postulate that its media is objective and is dedicated to discovering and reporting the truth. From this perspective, we are lead to believe that the democratic society in which we live gives us a sufficient amount of participation in the management of our own affairs and that the means of information are open and free. At least that is what a democratic society is meant to incorporate. However, the democratic society in which we live in reality incorporates the conception that the public need to be relieved of the management of their own affairs and that the means of information needs to be strictly controlled. For their own good, of course.

To view the full article, visit:

http://tamaraalom.wordpress.com/propaganda-and-the-war-on-terror/