Syrian Elites and the Quest for Democracy in Syria
The problem with Syrians quest for democracy and freedom is compounded by the lack of support of a group of Syrian elites that have become part and parcel of the regime’s outspoken defenders in order to secure their own financial interests in the country.
Many Syrians of different intellectual backgrounds have been practicing what one might term as “intellectual dishonesty” when it comes to criticism of the regime. Some families have benefited greatly under the new social and economic cronyism that has become the hall-mark of what the regime calls the new “social market economy”. Well known Sunni families now seem to rally around Mr. Dardari, Deputy Prime minister for economic affairs. Those families seem to be the beneficiary of the new economic policies adopted by the government for its fifth centralized economic plan for the country. However, cronyism seems to be the only proper characterization for this Syrian economy.
Another group of elites that have greatly benefited from this socio-economic make-up in place today in Syria are the corrupted officer’s corps. Through systematic program of self-enrichment through corruption in the ranks of the officer’s corps, President Hafez Assad was able to buy loyalty to his rule for decades. When Bashar took power, he found little resistance from those groups largely because they have been “on-the-take” as to speak for decades. Therefore the retirement of some of those “old guards” did not create any strong opposition. Some found refuge in Western oasis’s while others elected to stay put and support Bashar’s regime in order to continue reaping the benefits of cronyism for their sons. Many second generation cronies are now looked at in Syria as businessmen out to benefit Syria’s economy and its infrastructure. The most visible of those circles are the ones surrounding the President’s cousin Mr. Rami Makhluf and the President’s brother Maher Assad.
What has been the most single ingenious achievement in such an authoritarian system is its ability to deflect inward opposition to its legitimacy to an outward opposition to regional and international players in Middle-Eastern politics. The drive of the Ba’ath party demagoguery has shifted from its traditional secular speech to form an unlikely alliance with its most ardent enemy Islamism. The unusual alliance of these two political forces has transformed the traditional message of the Ba’ath party from one of purely Pan-Arabism to Pan-Arabism mixed with Pan-Islamism. The American invasion of Iraq and its subsequent immediate failure to bringing stability and security to that country made it easier for the message to resonate with most Syrians.
With the advent of Globalization authoritarian regimes in the region recognized the new danger of democratization to be the biggest threat to their rules. Working from different backgrounds each mounted a formidable opposition to such a change. While moderate Arab countries elected to join the wave of open market economies and work through top-down internal reforms, others elected to resist any attempt at change and elected to undermine democratization by launching proxy wars through terrorist organizations with no-return address.
Syrian elites, fearing the loss of their privileged positions if a change was to happen in leadership, have elected to stick with the devil they know and sacrificed the progressive dissenting voices which saw an opportunity for a peaceful change internally. The Leaders of the “Damascus Declaration” did not receive the popular support internally and quickly fell victims to the oppressive machinery of the government. After their arrest and detention by the regime’s security forces under the emergency rules, many elites got the message that no change is possible and simply elected to appease the regime by advocating a policy of reforms from within on long term basis.
What is most disturbing is the lack of true popular sentiments from members of the Syrian elites outside the country. While some dishonestly call themselves reformers, yet none seem to be concerned about the plight of those imprisoned for their free dissenting voices. The regime continues to arrest, detain, torture, and kill Syrian citizens simply because of their dissenting opinions, while we see Syrian elites take the podiums in Western capitals defending the Assad regime and calling for a dialogue and an end of its isolation. Some even go further in presenting it in a civil manner consciously knowing well the lack of the slightest hint of civility in this regime.
The oppressive nature of the Assad regime in dealing with dissenting voices has infected the furthest corners of the globe. Today Syrian ex-patriots living in the West, seem to give up their most God-given cherished right of freedom of speech and expression in order to maintain their link with their families inside the country. Fear of persecution and interrogation of their relatives by the security apparatus inside the country compels them to be silent and to refrain from any dissenting criticism of the government. This simple action of free speech by Syrians living abroad has been hijacked by the criminal practices of the Assad regime upon its citizens. Syrians living in the West today, consider their summer trips and vacations to be a privilege extended to them by the regime for their acquiescent attitude. Wisdom dictates such a position in order to protect one’s own family inside the country. Those Syrian elite’ apologists should ask themselves, can a regime that instills such fear into the ranks of its ex-patriot citizenry be reformed?
The choice is clear for Syrian elites; they must choose between cronyism, nepotism, corruption, and mafia style government or jeopardize the future safety and security of Syria, as a wise man once said “He who lives by the sword, will die by the sword”.
Many Syrians of different intellectual backgrounds have been practicing what one might term as “intellectual dishonesty” when it comes to criticism of the regime. Some families have benefited greatly under the new social and economic cronyism that has become the hall-mark of what the regime calls the new “social market economy”. Well known Sunni families now seem to rally around Mr. Dardari, Deputy Prime minister for economic affairs. Those families seem to be the beneficiary of the new economic policies adopted by the government for its fifth centralized economic plan for the country. However, cronyism seems to be the only proper characterization for this Syrian economy.
Another group of elites that have greatly benefited from this socio-economic make-up in place today in Syria are the corrupted officer’s corps. Through systematic program of self-enrichment through corruption in the ranks of the officer’s corps, President Hafez Assad was able to buy loyalty to his rule for decades. When Bashar took power, he found little resistance from those groups largely because they have been “on-the-take” as to speak for decades. Therefore the retirement of some of those “old guards” did not create any strong opposition. Some found refuge in Western oasis’s while others elected to stay put and support Bashar’s regime in order to continue reaping the benefits of cronyism for their sons. Many second generation cronies are now looked at in Syria as businessmen out to benefit Syria’s economy and its infrastructure. The most visible of those circles are the ones surrounding the President’s cousin Mr. Rami Makhluf and the President’s brother Maher Assad.
What has been the most single ingenious achievement in such an authoritarian system is its ability to deflect inward opposition to its legitimacy to an outward opposition to regional and international players in Middle-Eastern politics. The drive of the Ba’ath party demagoguery has shifted from its traditional secular speech to form an unlikely alliance with its most ardent enemy Islamism. The unusual alliance of these two political forces has transformed the traditional message of the Ba’ath party from one of purely Pan-Arabism to Pan-Arabism mixed with Pan-Islamism. The American invasion of Iraq and its subsequent immediate failure to bringing stability and security to that country made it easier for the message to resonate with most Syrians.
With the advent of Globalization authoritarian regimes in the region recognized the new danger of democratization to be the biggest threat to their rules. Working from different backgrounds each mounted a formidable opposition to such a change. While moderate Arab countries elected to join the wave of open market economies and work through top-down internal reforms, others elected to resist any attempt at change and elected to undermine democratization by launching proxy wars through terrorist organizations with no-return address.
Syrian elites, fearing the loss of their privileged positions if a change was to happen in leadership, have elected to stick with the devil they know and sacrificed the progressive dissenting voices which saw an opportunity for a peaceful change internally. The Leaders of the “Damascus Declaration” did not receive the popular support internally and quickly fell victims to the oppressive machinery of the government. After their arrest and detention by the regime’s security forces under the emergency rules, many elites got the message that no change is possible and simply elected to appease the regime by advocating a policy of reforms from within on long term basis.
What is most disturbing is the lack of true popular sentiments from members of the Syrian elites outside the country. While some dishonestly call themselves reformers, yet none seem to be concerned about the plight of those imprisoned for their free dissenting voices. The regime continues to arrest, detain, torture, and kill Syrian citizens simply because of their dissenting opinions, while we see Syrian elites take the podiums in Western capitals defending the Assad regime and calling for a dialogue and an end of its isolation. Some even go further in presenting it in a civil manner consciously knowing well the lack of the slightest hint of civility in this regime.
The oppressive nature of the Assad regime in dealing with dissenting voices has infected the furthest corners of the globe. Today Syrian ex-patriots living in the West, seem to give up their most God-given cherished right of freedom of speech and expression in order to maintain their link with their families inside the country. Fear of persecution and interrogation of their relatives by the security apparatus inside the country compels them to be silent and to refrain from any dissenting criticism of the government. This simple action of free speech by Syrians living abroad has been hijacked by the criminal practices of the Assad regime upon its citizens. Syrians living in the West today, consider their summer trips and vacations to be a privilege extended to them by the regime for their acquiescent attitude. Wisdom dictates such a position in order to protect one’s own family inside the country. Those Syrian elite’ apologists should ask themselves, can a regime that instills such fear into the ranks of its ex-patriot citizenry be reformed?
The choice is clear for Syrian elites; they must choose between cronyism, nepotism, corruption, and mafia style government or jeopardize the future safety and security of Syria, as a wise man once said “He who lives by the sword, will die by the sword”.
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