My twopence worth on the Syrian protest (17/02/2011)

I like this article by Qandaz: Syria speeding up.

Just to add my twopence worth (why not?):
I think Syrians do, ultimately, want democracy, but not at any price. Bashar is relatively popular (or at least not too unpopular!), and people are very wary of the alternative leadership (in particular, the opposition in exile has almost no credibility inside the country). I agree that Syrians have more of a problem with the corrupt system than with the leadership itself. So, at present there is a much stronger desire for reform rather than revolution.

Secondly, there is a fear of sectarianism but I personally find this a little paradoxical. Paradoxical because almost every Syrian seems to view their country as a potential sectarian powder keg (they look at Lebanon and Iraq and are scared they might go the same way) and yet I have not seen evidence of any serious sectarian chauvinism in personal dealings between Syrians. In the main urban areas most people live, work, study and socialise in mixed groups, especially the younger people. It is only in matters of marriage that Syrians tend to be much more endogamous and even then I personally know of quite a few marriages that cut across sectarian boundaries (e.g. Sunni-Ismaili, Sunni-Druze, Muslim-Christian). Cautiously, I would suggest that younger Syrians are becoming more relaxed about this than their elders. Perhaps the group that is most fearful of sectarianism is the Alawi because they have potentially the most to lose, and they fear the accumulated resentment that has built up against them over the last 40+ years. However, I tentatively suggest that Syrian national pride is strong enough to overcome sectarian divisions.

Finally, it was very interesting that the recent demo in Damascus (17 Sep 2011, Hariqa) did not come via the over-hyped Facebook/Twitter/etc (which may be important tools for spreading information but don't really explain WHY any of these Middle Eastern protests are happening) but instead from a single tightly-knit group with shared interests (the souq shopkeepers) protesting a specific issue (police brutality).

Was It Really 3 Years Ago?

Was it really 3 years ago? I remember standing in Bab Touma square, on the edge of the Old City of Damascus, saying goodbye to a group of friends at the end of a pleasant evening spent in one of the city's many restaurants. It was about 11.00pm when a loud bang came echoing towards us from the direction of Mount Qasioun. Our conversation abruptly halted, everyone was momentarily shocked, looking at each other for some kind of clue about how to react to what had just happened. "That didn't sound like thunder"

A revival of Pan-Arabism? & the prospects for revolution in Syria

Nice little article putting events in Tunisia and Egypt into the context of Pan-Arabism, that most well-worn of Middle Eastern political footballs...

The resurrection of pan-Arabism - Opinion - Al Jazeera English

In the meantime we are seeing that any 'transition' period is sure to be anything but smooth sailing. In attempting to clear Tahreer Sq and restore 'normality' the army has provoked renewed demonstrations, with thousands of protesters returning to the square to reinforce the hundreds who had been camped there overnight. There were also reports that tear gas was used to disperse a demonstration of police officers demanding better pay. These are going to be interesting times for the Egyptians!

Bringing matters back to Syria, AJE also produced a readable account of why the Tunisian domino effect is unlikely to spread to Syria:

Syria: 'A kingdom of silence' - Features - Al Jazeera English

A quick statement of my opinion is that Syrians are unlikely to unite behind overthrowing Bashar al-Assad in the way that Egyptians united to get rid of Mubarak. He is much younger (just 45), much less personally tainted by charges of corruption, and gains a degree of credibility by being seen as a leader who has stood up to American and Israeli designs on the region. In addition, his wife, Asma, is seen as a role model for young, educated, sophisticated Syrian women, and she is known to be very supportive of development issues through her Syria Trust for Development.

Nevertheless, it is clear that the Syrian people are desperate for the reform of a corrupt political system which gives them too much stick and not enough carrots.  A small, but welcome, step has been an end to the blocking of Facebook and Youtube, which have been unavailable in Syria since 2007 (hence my lack of blogging activity in Syria since autumn 2007!). Whether the regime will seize this historic opportunity to push through more substantive reforms remains to be seen (serious reform will entail a dialogue and power struggle within the regime itself, between more reformist elements and entrenched interests, particularly in the army and security services).

Finally, and to leave on an optimistic note, it's worth pondering the fact that we are seriously debating the likelihood of changes which just a few weeks ago seemed almost unthinkable. Perhaps this is the most important message to take from these heady days: for the first time in years anything seems to be possible!

Renewed Interest?

I was checking the site stats recently and it appears as if there remains a steady interest in this blog, despite the recent lack of activity. I was pleasantly surprised by this, so much so that I have decided to post a little update to cover the last 3+ years.

I returned to Damascus at the start of 2008, and remained there almost continuously until late 2010. During this period I settled into a busy work schedule and social life. In fact, I had the time of my life, meeting some amazingly talented people from all over the world, some of whom I hope to stay friends with for many years to come.

During this period the transformation of my relationship to Syria became complete. No longer was I the wide-eyed tourist of March 2006. Instead, what had been unusual had become banal, the extraodinary was now everyday. Perhaps I was 'going native'. I certainly passed from the point of being an outsider to being an insider. I never did formulate a way to deal with this... However, I did realise that a detached 'been there, done that' attitude wouldn't make for riveting reading.

For the curious here are some highlights you missed:

• totally rocking the crowd at MarMar, one of the city's most famous nightclubs, on the night Michael Jackson died. Not sure they were totally prepared for the sound of Dave Digital, but they were dancing on the tables anyway!
• Ramadan road trip with Mehyar, Muntajab, Sarah and Adeline. We may have failed to get a decent coffee but we certainly found out that Syrians are not going to let a trivial thing like fasting get in the way of their summer holiday fun.
• Having visa problems and literally being barred from leaving Syria - sounded alright to me! (contrary to the rumours, I did not smuggle myself out in a burka!)
• Tom, Matt, Takeshi and I driving up to the far NE of Syria in one mad 14-hr dash, (dinner in Damascus, breakfast on the Tigris) including several run-ins with Syria's finest. On the way back we stayed in the dirtiest hotel in the world (whose location I will keep a secret, just to ensure that some poor Lonely Planet writer will have to endure what we went through, hehe)
• getting to know the 150+ students I taught in my time there, young people from many backgrounds, ethnicities and religious groups. I may have been their teacher but actually, it was I who learned a lot from them and they gave me hope for the future of Syria, and indeed, the wider Middle East.

Finally, and despite all the excuses I've been making, I did actually keep writing. In fact I have literally hundreds of pages of notes waiting for the inspiration and inclination to make them come alive. Combined they might make good material for a book, if there are any publishing house editors out there, GET IN TOUCH! :-) LOL

This year I am intending to return to the region again... Back on the Road to Damascus...
Maybe, once more, I'll invite some readers along for the ride.

Best wishes,

Dave (malik ash-sham!) ;-)