Simply put, the people should be able to question, scrutinize and criticise their government- not so under Assad. Granted, he may be more liberal than his father (yet he was elected 5 times??) but that sets the bar low. Maybe that is why the country seems divided- the current leader is better than the former and the memories of the former are still fresh.
Although it is impossible to control information nowadays, Assad’s government is still trying. Sure, Facebook is banned and it is not uncommon for the internet to be turned off, but that is minor. What is more serious is manipulating the news- in this case to make the uprising seem smaller and made up of rebel groups instead of real civilians. While I was in Syria I found it difficult to know what was really happening in the country. I heard a variety of versions of the status of Hama- but I saw the truth with my own 2 eyes. But mainstream media in Canada and elsewhere is also manipulated- although more subtly...
One guy I spent a lot of time speaking with (mainly via Google Translate) told me he is neutral in regards to the revolution yet he wants to leave Syria to pursue a better life. He tells me Syrians need permission to leave their country and must return by a set date. People who leave without permission are labelled traitors and can never return. I wonder what will happen to the tens of thousands of refugees in Turkey and Lebanon. Obviously the situation is serious if they would risk becoming refugees.
But forget about the strict rule of Assad, the people simply want a better standard of living. For a country that claims to have such riches, it sounds as though those riches don’t reach much of the population. Perhaps this is why there is less anti-government sentiment in the privileged cities of Aleppo and Damascus as opposed to the rest of the country.
What do I think the future holds for Syria? I am a bit pessimistic. Unlike Egypt, the division of the people is not encouraging. The police and military are brutal and my guess is you will not see many of them defecting from their ranks. But both sides of the uprising have lost credibility in my eyes. There is an abundance of rumours that pro-government supporters are paid/threatened to attend the rallies you see on TV. And yes, the pro-Assad demonstrations did not feel totally authentic. Yet I know of one person who was told he would be paid if he took a gun and went to support the anti-government movement.
I think Assad will stay where he is unless international pressure forces him out. Unfortunately, a number of governments are quite happy with him and it may take the loss of many lives to instigate change. I hope the toll of this revolution will be worth it in the end.
My visit to Syria was one of the most interesting experiences yet and I am glad I went. I promise the next blog will be more fun. Below are some pictures of Aleppo, Palmyra and Damascus. Thinking of home but happily abroad,
Carrie
Aleppo- Citadel
Aleppo- Souq (too early for Aleppeans)
Palmyra- look Bri, no people
Palymra- Tomb
Damascus- Umayyad Mosque
Damascus- Sayyida Ruqayya Mosque (Shiite)
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