Turbulence in Syria

For decades, Syria has stood as an oasis of calm in an often turbulent Middle East. Unlike many of its neighbours, even the traditional architecture has not been replaced by high rises and, till a few months ago, it had seemed Syrians had accepted life under the Baath party, appreciating some improvements in living standards that had come first under President Hafez alAsad and then his son Bashar, who took over 11 years ago — continuing the tradition of dictatorship while making vague promises of reform.

That reform did not come, especially in the political arena. In the economic sphere, it was basically the wealthiest who benefitted from change — with around 10 per cent of ordinary Syrians continuing to live in abject poverty. Many believe if the reform had come we would not be seeing the violence that has now engulfed the country. But even so, the protests that first began to take shape in February in the city of Dera’a have left many shocked; so, too, has the degree of violence unleashed by security forces on government orders. Reports of mass graves have come in, over 75 people died on a single day in April, eye witnesses say troops have shot at children — and killed some, and there is no indication that the repression is likely to end, despite a US threat of sanctions and warnings to President Bashar. The deaths of soldiers have also hit a sharp chord in a country where conscription is compulsory and almost every household has a member performing duty as part of a force engaged in stopping the unrest.

The Syrian regime — like dictatorship elsewhere in the region — has been blaming Muslim extremist groups. Most neutral observers say that it is the young people of the country who lead the movement, inspired by the events they have seen in the neighbourhood. They seem determined to continue till they see a change in autocratic rule and a return to the democracy Syria knew early on in the 1900s, before a series of dictatorships established a hold they have yet to relinquish.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 26^th, 2011.