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Washington Times: Assad Under Siege

By Daveed Gartenstein-Ross

I have been working on a series of articles with my colleague Nir Boms about the state of Middle Eastern democratization (see our previous articles about the overwhelming trend toward elections in the Middle East and the U.S.'s options for promoting liberal institutions). Today we have a piece in the Washington Times that examines the rise of democratic movements in Syria that may eventually be able to provide a feasible alternative to Syrian president Bashar Assad's regime -- and the need for the U.S. to distinguish between genuine and faux democrats. An excerpt:

President Bashar Assad has showered the Syrian people with promises, yet has failed to deliver on them. His weakness and ineptitude combined with an increased international focus on Syria's involvement in Lebanon and Iraq have helped reinvigorate the opposition. While that opposition can't yet offer a solid political alternative, Mr. Assad's growing efforts to silence it show that it is gaining strength.

Indeed, it is becoming difficult to keep track of the large number of Syrian groups and activists who are working on the cause of political reform inside and outside Syria. A number of conferences, such as those organized by the Syrian Democratic Coalition (SDC), claim to have brought representatives of over 30 such groups together. The SDC, which is led by Farid Ghadry, can be credited with raising international awareness of the existence of a vibrant Syrian opposition. The SDC is now working to establish a parliament in exile that will seek to coordinate the various opposition groups.

That coalition was recently challenged by former Syrian Vice President Abdel Halim Khaddam. Mr. Khaddam has joined with exiled Muslim Brotherhood leader [Ali Sadreddine] Bayanouni to establish what they dub the "National Salvation Front." He is attempting to establish a government in exile with Ba'ath-like functions such as a minister of information. This effort probably won't be well-received in Syria, where Mr. Khaddam is seen as a major player in the corrupt Syrian Ba'athist apparatus.

Read the whole article here.

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Courtesy of the Counterterrorism Blog: By Daveed Gartenstein-Ross I have been working on a series of articles with my colleague Nir Boms about the state of Middle Eastern democratization (see our previous articles about the overwhelming trend toward... [Read More]

» DEMOCRACY MOVEMENT LEANS FORWARD ON SYRIA, BUT ASSAD FIGHTS BACK from Arab World Analysis
Slowly but surely, a democratic opposition to the Syrian government of Bashar Assad seems to be in ferment. There are now two main opposition groups; a democratic opposition organized around the Syrian Democratic Coalition, and an alliance between the ... [Read More]