November 2008

Today we find ourselves facing unprecedented turmoil with world leaders shuttling back and forth to prevent the global economy from grinding to a halt. Collectively we must raise the volume to ensure that the global poverty crisis is tackled with the same level of urgency.

Today there can be no doubts that we live in a global village, one where poverty, in as much as opportunity, has no boundaries. And whether we choose to acknowledge it or not, poverty will find its way to our doorsteps and affect our lives in some form. It is clearer than ever that our future is shared; our prosperity, our security and our progress depend on mutual cooperation.

Shortly after 4 pm on October 26, 2008, four American warplanes illegally violated Syrian airspace, coming from Iraq. Two of them landed, eight kilometers into Syrian territory, in the village of Sukariyya. US soldiers disembarked with arms, shooting at innocent civilians in an abandoned building. Not a single bullet was fired back in defense, because none of those being attacked had weapoons.

The journalist from the Foreign Affairs monthly fidgeted in his seat as he sat in front of me. After all, he came to ask me the tough questions; it was I who was supposed to be in the hot seat. Our roles would abruptly switch, leaving him to ponder over a question even simpler than the one he posed. “Why are you not securing your border with Iraq?” he asked. “You think we can secure it?” I responded. “Sure.”

We must recognize that, for some time, Syria was expecting a direct American act of aggression,  specially after the US became its  irect neighbor as a result of the occupation of Iraq in 2003, now sharing a 700 km border with the Syrians. Relations reached an all time low when Syria refused to accept Secretary of State Colin Powell’s famous dictates, shortly after the occupation of Baghdad, causing George W. Bush to place Syria on his “enemy list,” accusing them of foiling his projects in Iraq, Lebanon, and Palestine. Despite all of that, the US raid on the Syrian village of al-Sukariyya on October 27 came as a surprise. It surprised observers in terms of timing, and the multiple messages it carried hrough the bullet ridden bodies of eight Syrian civilians, killed in cold blood by American troops that landed in the town of Abou Kamal, near the border with Iraq.

Jassem was constantly crying that horrible night. Next to him slept younger Mohammad, unaware of the tragedy that hit their family the  revious afternoon. The two blind kids have just lost their father, grandfather and three of their uncles and aside from appreciating a generous indemnity dispatched by President Assad, Jassem realizes that he will spend the rest of his days in solitude and agony.

Never since the occupation of Iraq in 2003 did the Americans stop accusing Syria of letting foreign fighters cross the border into Iraq. Syria always denied it, and expressed willingness to help bring security to Iraq, using technical assistance from the United States and Great Britain.

In Syrian eyes, the last attack of American troops on a peasant home under construction, killing eight civilians, reflected in a single event the failure of the American approach in the Middle East in many aspects: the brutality, political autism, as well as the prevalence of the logic of force are just some of those aspects.

Allow me to quote the former and legendary US President Abraham Lincoln, who spoke to Congress on December 1, 1862 saying: “Fellow citizens: We cannot escape history. We of this Congress and this administration will be remembered in spite of ourselves. The fiery trail through which we pass, will light us down, in honor or dishonor, to the latest generation.”

Ali, 22, woke up early on October 26, 2008. It was a long day for his big family in the Sukariyya village in the town of Abou Kamal, near the Syrian-Iraqi border. His family included, in addition to his father, a total of 12 brothers and sisters. The day ended leaving Ali with only seven. The rest were killed by a US air raid on Abu Kamal. On the day of the funeral—one day after the attack—Ali seemed a broken man, grieved by the loss of his father and brothers.

Medvedev slightly reminds the world of the strongmen of the former Soviet Union. Along with Putin he is back with a vengance.

Events in Caucasia that led to the conflict between Russia and Georgia, and the consequent rhetorical escalation on the American side, have unfolded rapidly and with alarming potential ramifications to the entire international order. As such, if the world’s sole superpower, the United States, is to protect its position globally, it will have to revert back to caution and political shrewdness, as opposed to its current political belligerence. In other words, and to borrow the famous line from the great American thinker Thomas Paine, “These are the times that try men’s souls;” it is appropriate to state that these are the times that try men’s prudence. No matter the outcome, it will resonate across the globe, affecting us all, including Syria.