Sunday, April 11, 2004
In fact, I think you'll find we still are being told so. We were told that the War on Terror and the invasion of Iraq would result in Arab Governments' cracking down harder on their people in order to maintain their grip on power. Signs like those in this Washington Post story, about Syrian protest against the government, and even the push for reform within the Ba'ath itself, belie that idea, hoever. That's why it's so important we not fail in Iraq. Success in Iraq will embolden reformers all over the region, while failure will set back the cause of freedom immeasurably. If we fail, not only will we make it less likely that people in the area will take risks for the cause of reform, but we'll discredit the idea of doing anything more than lobbing missiles at our problems - Americans will be cynical for a long time to come about trying to bring about positive change outside our shores. That won't be good for the cause of peace, as we'll be far more likely to respond to perceived threats with an iron first alone.
Syrians Test Limits of Political Dissent (washingtonpost.com)
That was the opening line in a recent story in the official Syrian newspaper al-Thawra that detailed the handling of a health crisis over contaminated water in the far northeastern town of al-Hassaka.
In other times, in other countries, such an exposé of local malfeasance would hardly raise a storm. But the harsh and open critique was so unusual in authoritarian Syria that it set off a tumultuous chain of events. A central government representative tried to get Yunis Khalef, the reporter who wrote the story, fired. Police visited his house after midnight. He fled to Damascus. Another newspaper rushed to defend the journalist, who was fired from al-Thawra, then reinstated.
The incident was one sign that Syrians are openly challenging the tight restrictions that have ruled public life. While the government seems conflicted over how to respond, President Bashar Assad's Baath Party, which has a monopoly on power here, is starting to talk about reforming itself...
