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Syria Books |
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Islam Books |
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Middle East Books |
The squeeze on Assad The regime of Bashar Assad is tottering. His fall would probably trigger a short-term surge in violence, but a better government would emerge The Economist, Jun 30th 2011 | DAMASCUS | from the print edition Patience, weapon as well as virtue IT WAS the biggest meeting of its kind for decades: [...]
Many Opposition Members have argued that the business elite of Syria will abandon the regime down the road when Syria’s economic troubles grow deeper. I have asked a number of readers to explain how they think the Syrian business elite will react in the future. Ford Prefect (From Sunni Elite Family, living in the US) [...]
So What is going on with Souedie Crude, or as it is often called, Syrian Heavy Crude? Syria says it will cut exports by 37%. [See addendum below] Western Powers are on the verge of announcing that they will boycott Syria’s Souedie Crude. This is a heavy grade crude that can only be refined in [...]
SYP black market rate is at 53.0-53.5 this morning. But there are few dollars to be had at any price. The restrictions on buying foreign currency are many and onerous. Interest rates are now almost 10% on deposits. Every bank has to give the central bank a daily, detailed accounting of who they sold foreign [...]
Syrian opposition conference held in Semiramis hotel in Damascus with 200 opposition members. This marks the first time the opposition has meet openly in Syria. Opposition members have come out from hiding and into the open to voice their desire for democracy and reform. “Every step that helps bring together an opposition is a positive [...]
President Assad’s Speech: Most of the Western press disparaged the President’s third speech for being defiant and more of the same. The opposition joke about how the speech was sponsored by Dettol, the anti-bacterial disinfectant, because of the President’s use of the term “germs” to describe its enemies. Addendum: numerous readers have written to correct [...]
Ehsani tries to answer these two questions: Is bringing down the economy and bankrupting the country a realistic danger? And as for the Lira. Is there a way to manipulate the currency from outside the country? Is it technically possible to put pressure on the Lira from governments outside? First, it is important to note [...]
The Alawi Dilemma – Revisited By Khudr For Syria Comment June 20, 2011 Dr. Joshua, You are completely right when you say that most Alawis these days either support the regime (better to say that they support Assad family rule) or are living in complete denial of the situation. I have discovered that a number [...]
I asked a friend who joined the organized Foreign Press Corps visit to Jisr al-Shaghour to tell me what his take was on the visit. This is his account: We got a tour of the place with lots of press. The story is that the Syrian Military Intelligence (SMI) garrison was attacked and seized over [...]
“Where is the Truth? Not in the Middle but at the Extremes,” by a Foreigner in Syria (who has lived, studied and traveled there for years.) For Syria Comment June 20 2011 The stories people are hearing from their friends and family certainly give cause to question the narrative being carried by the international media. [...]
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Director: Center
for Middle East Studies and Associate Professor, University of Oklahoma 405-819-7955 landis@ou.edu |
