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New year, new job, new Damascus. This is how Tunisian Ambassador Mohammad Oweiti felt at the beginning of 2009, when he started his new job in the Syrian capital. Much had changed in Damascus, a city he knew 15-years ago when serving as a consultant at the Tunisian Embassy in Syria. Much, however, has remained exactly the same. Although busy preparing for the Arab Summit in Doha, Ambassador Oweiti found the time to talk to Forward Magazine, expressing how good it was to be back in Syria.

Young professionals and entrepreneurs discuss the challenges and opportunities for Syria in face of the global financial meltdown. Establishing a small-size, entrepreneurship-style business at these turbulent economic times seems to be what some are going for; others are scared to make an investment. How do Syria’s young men and women view their lives as banks around the world get bankrupt? Julian Weinberg investigates.

I first heard the name Paolo Coelho in college. Word was spreading on the streets of Beirut that a writer from Brazil had invaded the world stage, with a thundering new book called “The Alchemist.” Young people would swear by it, saying that it had completely transformed their lives for the better. “The Alchemist” was first published through an obscure Brazilian publishing house in the 1980s, and went on to become “one of the bestselling books in history,” with more than 65 million copies, in 67 languages.

A pure brute and petty thief, Abu Antar roamed the streets of Damascus with his friend and former prison mate, Ghawwar. Tall and muscled, with his famous tattoo – a skull on his right arm – he coined famous phrases in Damascene dialect, like “Batel” (which in English roughly translates into: Hell No!).

Abu Antar and Ghawwar sought small achievements in their small world, being a decent meal, or

Finance Minister Mohammad Hussein, head of the Economic Bureau in the Baath Party, rang the stock market bell signaling the opening of the Damascus Securities Exchange on March 9, 2009. The launch of the Damascus Securities Exchange (DSE) is deemed an important step, signaling that economic reforms are underway in Syria, coming, however, amidst a diminishing role for world financial markets, due to the international crisis that erupted in the final half of 2008. The DSE’s board has prepared itself for transparent conduct, and will be a tool to mobilize capital that is ready for investment and make use of Syrian money, under good supervision.

The son of a tourism veteran, and grandson of a cofounder of the Syrian Air Force, Michel Arcouche ventured into new territory, charting a career path for himself in banking at Bank Audi Syria, and community service, as a two-time board member of the Syrian Young Entrepreneurs Association (SYEA).

The last year in the Syrian school system comes with a social, physiological and physical tax. A demanding year and a time of crisis for students entering the baccalaureate season, students and their families brace themselves for the final test that determines the shape of their futures. Rituals to contain the crisis are passed on semester to semester; here’s more of what goes on behind the scenes.

Is there a smoke screen separating the genders in Damascus? By Rouba Shadoud Young smokers speak to Forward Magazine about the hidden taboos of this common social ailment, a habit that has become a subtle and derisive way to distinguish the sexes. As the government recently passed a smoking ban draft that will prohibit smoking in public places throughout the country, special zones will be established for smokers, and advertising for tobacco in all its forms and accessories will be banned. Penalties for smoking in public will vary between financial fines and, at their most severe, prison. How does this affect the way men – and women – smoke?

Dear Forward Readers, March 2009 witnessed the annual celebrations of the feminine icon (Mother’s Day and Women’s International Day), but we took a different approach to both anniversaries. Instead of writing about flowers and roses, we investigated the hidden world of abortion in Syria, with women from different walks of life deciding to undergo the procedure due to poverty, ambition or scandal. In the same issue our associate editor in chief, Ruba Saqr, writes about motherhood from the Islamic Sufi perspective, where women reign supreme, while our editor in chief, Sami Moubayed, sheds light on the new smoking habits of Syrian women. Julian Weinberg investigates the influence of mobile phones on the love lives of young Syrian women - liberating them from the tight grip of their families, while in our Homecomers section leading media lady, Hiam Hamwi, tells us her story about coming back to work in Damascus after experiencing stardom at Radio Monte Carlo. On the business front, we celebrate the appointment of our publisher, Abdulsalam Haykal, as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum this year, and publish the full text of an official letter he had sent to Barack Obama ahead of winning the US elections, dubbed “From Damascus to Obama.” Our March issue also has special features about the cinema industry in Syria since the 1920s. Nostalgic narratives of the wife of one of Syria’s leading figures, Khaldoun Maleh, veteran director and co-creator of the most-watched “Sah al-Nom,” is celebrated in a feature story about his life with his wife Majida.