The West is waiting for the chance to install pliable leaders in Syria who are aligned with their regional interests.
A GOOD PIECE
Marwa Daoudy
(Dr Marwa Daoudy is a lecturer at the Middle East Centre, St Antony's College, the University of Oxford.)
Al-Jazeera
".....The Syrian insurrection has drawn momentum and power from its capacity over the last months to mobilise peacefully and claim ownership of the uprisings. Armed resistance could feed into official rhetorics on foreign-led insurgency. If the country was forced to accept an externally imposed no-fly zone or safe haven, the parts of the population that have so far kept away from the struggle would side with the regime in a surge of national pride and solidarity.
The best strategy would be to sustain domestic direct actions that preserve the dignity and legitimacy of the uprisings. The literature on non-violent direct action identifies a set of defensive strategies that could be effectively used: boycotts, strikes, marches, civil disobedience, public disclosure of violence and safe spaces within and outside the country (without the military enforcement needed for no-fly zones).
Inspiration can be drawn from Ghandi's movement in India, Mandela's freedom campaigns in South Africa, human rights movements in Guatemala, Argentina and Latin America, and the non-violent parts of the Palestinian Intifada. Instead of fearing the cost of change, the Syrians that are still ambivalent would realise the cost of resistance to change - in other terms, increased regional and international isolation, political chaos and economic hardship at home.
Some of these strategies have already been successfully implemented in Syria: launched on December 11, a general strike was widely followed and calls for civil disobedience were successful in leading to poor turnout at legislative elections. Recently, the general strike in the Douma quarters outside Damascus led public authorities to force shops open.
In parallel, human rights fact-finding missions would continue to be imposed on the regime to sustain international scrutiny and prevent further repression. With time, sanctions targeted at the inner circles of power, rather than the country's national economy, would impact on the regime's alternatives.
In keeping to its spirit and independence, the Syrian Revolution would remain just, powerful and legitimate. Only as such can it win the hearts and minds of all Syrians; and only as such can it lead to genuine and peaceful transition to democracy."
A GOOD PIECE
Marwa Daoudy
(Dr Marwa Daoudy is a lecturer at the Middle East Centre, St Antony's College, the University of Oxford.)
Al-Jazeera
".....The Syrian insurrection has drawn momentum and power from its capacity over the last months to mobilise peacefully and claim ownership of the uprisings. Armed resistance could feed into official rhetorics on foreign-led insurgency. If the country was forced to accept an externally imposed no-fly zone or safe haven, the parts of the population that have so far kept away from the struggle would side with the regime in a surge of national pride and solidarity.
The best strategy would be to sustain domestic direct actions that preserve the dignity and legitimacy of the uprisings. The literature on non-violent direct action identifies a set of defensive strategies that could be effectively used: boycotts, strikes, marches, civil disobedience, public disclosure of violence and safe spaces within and outside the country (without the military enforcement needed for no-fly zones).
Inspiration can be drawn from Ghandi's movement in India, Mandela's freedom campaigns in South Africa, human rights movements in Guatemala, Argentina and Latin America, and the non-violent parts of the Palestinian Intifada. Instead of fearing the cost of change, the Syrians that are still ambivalent would realise the cost of resistance to change - in other terms, increased regional and international isolation, political chaos and economic hardship at home.
Some of these strategies have already been successfully implemented in Syria: launched on December 11, a general strike was widely followed and calls for civil disobedience were successful in leading to poor turnout at legislative elections. Recently, the general strike in the Douma quarters outside Damascus led public authorities to force shops open.
In parallel, human rights fact-finding missions would continue to be imposed on the regime to sustain international scrutiny and prevent further repression. With time, sanctions targeted at the inner circles of power, rather than the country's national economy, would impact on the regime's alternatives.
In keeping to its spirit and independence, the Syrian Revolution would remain just, powerful and legitimate. Only as such can it win the hearts and minds of all Syrians; and only as such can it lead to genuine and peaceful transition to democracy."
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