The Syrian Uprising and the Arab-Israeli Conflict

Syria is attracting a considerable international attention these days, not only because of the drama of peaceful protest against tanks and sniper bullets which represents a continuation of the Arab Spring started in Tunisia last December, but also because of that small country’s political importance on the Middle Eastern scene. A plethora of informational and analytical articles proliferates in the international press vouching for this importance. Analysts are pressed to speculate about the nature of what is happening, especially at the opaque levels of the Syrian top government officials, and also about the future of this civil unrest that many see as a potential game changer in the region. However, recently, an interesting NYT op-ed and a response to it seemed to pull our attention toward the past rather than the future. The author of the op-ed (“My Syria, Awake Again After 40 Years,” June 26, 2011) is Mohammad Ali Atassi,

The Impasse of the Syrian Revolt

Ahmad Nazir Atassi

It has been almost seven months since the beginning of the Syrian uprising and no solution is visible in the future. Being the cynic that I am, I would go as far as saying that the revolt had since the beginning all the elements for its slow pace and deadlock status of today. As a child of Syria, I am certainly proud of the achievements of this collective endeavor; because breaking fear barrier and taking on a brutal dictatorship like that of the Assad dynasty is no less a miracle than the fall of Saddam Hussein without the intervention of a superpower. It is exactly this observation that makes the impasse of the Syrian revolt, for many observers knew it, and many Syrians have just come to know it, that dislodging the dictator and his cronies from power needs a considerable military force. The gap of about ten to fifteen years between the eighties generation and the nineties generation can actually explain the rashness of decision that characterized the beginning of this revolt

The Meeting at Samiramis Hotel in Damascus

A group of 200 persons met at Hotel Samiramis in Damascus for eight hours and issued a final statement in front of the cameras of the official Syrian TV and those of Dunia Channel (semi-official). The meeting was presented as a consultative one for "independent" personality from the "opposition". Europeans and Americans were quick to support "the conference of the opposition". Every thing about this meeting was vague and shrouded in mystery: the late announcement, participation by invitation, meeting happened behind closed doors, no pre-announced list of participants, no pre-announced schedule, no guidelines for the "discussions", no clear idea who organized it, many rumors about who is and who is not participating, and even the epithet to be given (conference, meeting, discussion) to the meeting was not clear.

An introduction to understanding Syria today

A. Nazir Atassi

I find that, after three months of protest and numerous articles written on the subject, Syria remains a mystery to western readers and media alike. With all due respect to specialists in Syrian affairs, who added tremendously to our knowledge and understanding of Syria, a first-hand experience of a native of the country is still needed to elucidate certain issues that outsiders will rarely see or understand. Syria is still “the kingdom of silence”, to use the words of the prominent Syrian dissident Riyad al-Turk. It is a mystery enveloped in silence and thrown in the deepest abyss of fear. Nonetheless, plenty of hope for the future of Syria is in the air, and, for the first time, it is well justified. Syria will unravel with every day of protest, every voice raised, every protester killed, and every word written about it. In addition to patience and courage, well in supply these days, we need to talk about Syria; both Syrians and others need to talk about Syria because it would be a victory for non-violent activism. It will set the stage for 21st century activism if the Syrian uprising, as it is proceeding now, manages to effectuate a change of its ruling regime; one of few remaining Cold War era Stalinist regimes.

The Job of a Historian

In a survey of modern Western civilization, I asked the students the following questions (a question and a follow up) and obtained the following answers: 
Why do we study history? "To avoid repeating past mistakes" 
What do we learn from Napoleon's invasion of Russia? "Don't invade Russia during winter" 
What is the West? "West of the Mississippi River" or Silence 
Is Russia in the West? "It depends"  
Are you Westerners? "Yes sir"
Are Chinese-Americans Westerners? Silence

Why do we mostly study the history of centralized states? Silence
Where are the poor people in history? "They are inconsequential, so we don't need to include them"

This is part of my continuing effort to define the Job of a Historian.
Lower-division survey classes are probably more important than upper-division ones because students there accept what they learn without questioning.

The Dig in Jarash, August 2008

I am second from the right, next to the Jordanian Archaeology student (you gotta admire the strength of her religious conviction, because wearing this hijab under that sun was beyond what I could bare). You cannot tell from the picture how hot it was and how dehydrated, hungry, and tired I was.

I cannot show detailed pictures of the dig site because the results have not been published yet. But here is a touristic picture of the site without identifying any architectural features.

My trip to Istanbul

I arrived in Istanbul on July the 3rd, 2008. I cannot believe it's been more than a year now. I also cannot believe that I got so much work done in ten days.
More than a month of meticulous planning paid off, all thanks to the internet.

I got off the airplane, looked for the metro, bought a ticket, and was in my hotel room (which I reserved over the internet) at Bayezit within an hour. I had a detailed map of the area (thanks to mapquest) but got lost trying to find the names of the narrow streets branching out from the main street where the tramway station was.