Writing Worth Reading
Writing Worth Reading
Months of anti-government protests; a brutal response by the authorities. But what's really going on in Syria? It's all here
NGO report documenting summary executions carried out by Syrian security forces and pro-government militias. Based on interviews with witnesses. And probably covering only a fraction of those killed (PDF)
Excellent analysis of Syrian crisis. "There is less a conspiracy in Syria than a society on the move, headed along a path that the regime simply will not follow." May lead to civil war, but for many Syrians there is no going back
Well-informed analysis on Syria. Lynch argues that if the goal is helping the Syrian people, the international response should focus not on military options, but on improving prospects for a "soft landing" after Assad's fall (PDF)
Deeply troubling assessment from reporter recently back from two-month assignment. Regime can survive for a long time. "Syria is crumbling before our eyes, and a thoroughly modern nation is likely to be set back many decades"
New novel puts Syrian revolt in context. It's not available in English yet so it's summarised here. Ajami's analysis: This is a "rebellion of wrath and disinheritance" with a strong sectarian element (Free for Browser readers)
Why Russia won't support UN condemnation of Syria's President Assad. Not just solidarity among autocrats. Russia feels that it got burnt over Libya. It doesn't trust the Syrian opposition. And it trusts the US even less
What are Alawites opposed to the Assad regime to do? Some take part in the opposition anonymously, others openly. For many others, the bottom line is fear of anti-Alawite sectarian reprisals if Assad falls
Ex-CIA analyst discusses Syrian leader's trajectory from moderniser to mass-murderer. Parallels with Gaddafi's son, Saif al-Islam. Both spent time in the West, enough to learn new ideas, but not enough for deep change
If regime change does come to Syria, it will have repercussions throughout the Middle East. The outcomes could be generally positive, if properly managed. America's best strategy: Help Turkey shape the post-Assad order
Get up to speed on Syria with this briefing paper (PDF) on deepening crisis there. Public debate about country's future has mostly ignored five key issues that will shape events. Here's what they are, and what they mean
Hafez al-Assad was a ruthless cynic who ruled Syria with fear and violence. Son Bashar thought he could lighten up, get popular, and hold on to power that way. Wrong. Once you've built a wall of dread, you can't dismantle it
BBC reporter meets some of those who've turned from peaceful protesters into a militarised opposition. "The minute you step over the border into Syria, you feel you have lost your humanity because of this regime"
"Assad's problem now is that he's lost any chance of a genuine compromise and must therefore fight on in the hopes that he can cow the opposition and restore order." Main victims will be ordinary Syrians who dreamt of more openness
Arab Spring endures. Arab League freezes Syria's membership, because government has killed thousands of opponents. It may not stop Assad, of course. But since when did Arab leaders care about regimes killing their own people?
Rosen's latest despatch from Syria focuses on Alawi minority. Secretive sect, disproportionately present at senior level of security forces. Good combination of historical backgrounder and story of emerging sectarianism
Syrian notebook. The regime has much more violence in reserve. Things will get worse before they get better. But the revolt has endured, it's everywhere, it's not going to crumble. Assad is doomed. Everyone knows it
Extraordinary report by German journalist of secret travels in Syria and meetings with protest leaders. Even hospitals aren't safe for dissidents: “You come in with a bullet in your leg. And you come out with a bullet in your head"
Detailed and gripping account of life with Syrian resistance. From firing onions at security forces, they've gone past point of no return. "If we don’t get rid of him, they’re going to come back at us with everything they have"
And they're a diverse, fragmented bunch. For starters, there's no unified view on dialogue with the regime, foreign intervention or use of violence. They need to resolve this if they're to be a credible, viable alternative to Assad
Most of the opposition to President Assad comes in the form of street protests by unarmed demonstrators. But there are also armed groups, including a unit formed of defectors from the Syrian security forces. Reporter meets them
Outstanding analysis of Arab uprisings, looking ahead to what may follow. "Revolutions devour their children. The spoils go to the resolute, the patient, who know what they are pursuing and how to achieve it"
Rambling but always interesting essay on dark power of the Assad dynasty. Bashar has missed the moment to compromise, and will have to go. But it's been hard for the protests to get traction in a country where so much is secret
If US tries to accelerate departure of Assad it will end badly. For Washington and for Syria. "Building national unity is a long a painful process. It cannot be given as a gift." New Syrian leaders will eventually emerge
Syria is slipping towards war. Possibly Libya-type scenario with opposition attacking regime from safe haven area in north. Other possibility is sectarian war. Assad's tactic is to simulate it. Risk is it could become real
Vivid account of everyday life in Syria. "The government urges people not to believe the propaganda that members of the military are deserting. State TV blames Islamic fundamentalists, criminals, and gangs for the unrest"
Good Mideast sit-rep. "The pertinent question is perhaps not so much who will be next to fall but rather, what follows? But the overall trend towards democratisation is no more stoppable in the Arab world than it has been elsewhere"
Assessment of US ambassador: "There's no evidence that the Syrian government is willing to reform at the speed demanded by the street protesters. If it doesn’t start moving with far greater alacrity, the street will wash them away"
Top US envoy in Syria goes to see protests for himself, writes account highly unusual in tone for a diplomat. "We wish the Syrian government would stop beating and shooting peaceful demonstrators"
"Let me warn you about democracy. It is a vague ideal and the old-established democracies like the US are seeing it undermined by a whole host of undemocratic practices. Here is some advice on how to avoid mistakes of my generation"
Grievances of Arab people against their rulers are strikingly similar to complaints American revolutionaries lodged against British monarchy all those years ago. Arabs deserve their fourth of July, Americans should support them
On the complicated history of Hatay. Province in south-east Turkey now. But old disputes and rivalries are being stirred up as Syrians flee over the border to escape their government's violent response to protests
How "an odd group of idealists and hard realists in the American government" manipulated Syrian politics in 1947-49, intending to nurture democracy, but instead setting in train upheavals that led to the Assad family dictatorship
"Many are asking why, if action was deemed necessary for Libya, it is not for Syria." First, Syrians don't want it. Second, there's no international support for it. Anywhere. Have those who ask the question forgotten Iraq?
Shocking report on crimes against humanity committed by Syrian security forces in past two months. Details of systematic killings, beatings, electroshock torture and detention of people seeking medical care (54-page PDF)
Well-judged condemnation of dictators' wives. "When you are married to a man who can make or break humans and entire nations, you have an obligation beyond the marriage." Stand by a dishonourable man, share the blame, the punishment
