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Syria: Mapping Lessons

“Syria is associated with war, terrorism and Islamist extremism. Is it possible to find another thread that links it to other diverse radical struggles in other regions and different times? Can Syria become a point of reference or inspiration for class, subaltern, post-colonialist and anti-liberal struggles around the world? For many people this would be almost unimaginable.” Leila al-Shami: “ It's unfortunate that people in general are unable to learn and study, or even be aware of the lessons from Syria because the presentation of Syria in the West has overwhelmingly been channeled through the discourses that Western culture is already comfortable with.” Land, Revolutions and Lessons from Syria
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Syria

“Murder turned into an act of self-defense, in which the regime and international community embarked on a selfish battle of describing the crime using terms such as  civil war , the two-party war and the conflict. Consequently, the main crime was cleared, not by prescription, but because of its description.” Murder, and the burden of proof
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U.S. Imperialism

From a magazine that supported the invasion of Iraq, supported Israel —and probably still does—and it is now ‘baptised’ as ‘progressive’. The question remains: it is not about individuals—individualising regimes is a prevalent narrative—but about an imperialist state that strives to maintain its hegemony through violence—among other means— in a changing world. In this particular case, I can do it and get away with it. An ally of mine, Israel, can do it and get away with it. New President, Same Old Forever War
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“The Arab Spring”

My comments on the article below. I think the writer has missed some fundamental aspects/features of what has happened: The class dynamic and the weakness of the movement and its lack of radicalism. Its inability to generate a leader (compare that with Venezuela and Bolivia, for example, or the twentieth century revolutionary movements). The role of the middle class in Egypt (for a change first then with the military after for the sake of ‘stability’) A stability endorsed and sought for by foreign powers, regional and Western. During the uprisings there was not a single occupation of a key governmental building or financial institution. Occupying squares and marching do not shift the balance of power. Indecisiveness invited aggression by the state and other forces to size the moment. It is inaccurate to say the regime in Egypt was overthrown. Even in Tunisia it wasn’t. In the two cases, the head of the regime was removed and an internal restructuring among the factions took place, pres
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Syria’s Labour Communist Party

“ Party members were from all ethnicities and religious sects of Syria, making it likely the most diverse among leftist parties in the country. Women also had a significant and, in later years, growing presence in the ranks of the LCP [Labour Communist Party] though were largely absent from leadership positions (p.191). Alongside the initial involvement of women in the first steps of the party through “Marxist Circles”, or collective political groups, they played an increasingly important role throughout different periods of the party. Female members also suffered from the multiple campaigns of arrests by the security services, especially at the end of the 1980s as their numbers and participation in the party increased. As Shabo writes, the significant numbers of women in the LCP and their activism made the party clearly distinct from other leftist and communist groups, where women’s roles were comparatively less prominent.” Syria’s Labour Communist Party
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