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Date: 2024-10-05 Page is: DBtxt001.php txt00001878 |
Country ... Syria |
COMMENTARY |
Syria's deep divide A group of Syrians gather in The Cafe to debate their country's future.
Against all odds, the Syrian people rose up to demand change in their country nine months ago. Inspired by the revolutions in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Yemen and Bahrain, they wanted an end to the rule of the Assad family which has been in place since 1970. But the revolution has stumbled. Massive peaceful marches were brutally quashed by the security apparatus of the state and unofficial enforcers known as 'shabiha'. More than 5,000 people have been killed. Now the protests are quick and fragmented, unlike the sustained sit-ins of Tahrir Square that toppled the regime of Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian president. The Syrian government alleges that 'armed terrorist groups' have killed hundreds of security personnel, and there are worries that Syria is descending into civil war. Defectors from the Syrian army have banded together to form the Free Syrian Army and carry out attacks against military targets. Sectarian divisions between the majority Sunnis and minorities (including Alawites and Christians) are on the rise. Many Syrians worry about a repeat of the Iraqi scenario, which pitted Sunnis and Shias against each other in a bloody cycle of ethnic cleansing in 2006 and 2007. Adding to the complications are the divisions within the Syrian opposition. Inside the country, dissidents try to remain underground, but thousands are in jail. Outside the country, Syria's exiles have come together to form the Syrian National Council (SNC), an umbrella group of disparate opposition parties, to lobby the international community to take action against the government of Bashar al-Assad. But the SNC's effectiveness remains in question. Can the Syrian revolution succeed? A group of Syrians gather in The Cafe in Beirut to debate their country's future. Our Coffee Mates on this episode:PRODUCER'S NOTE: This episode of The Café was different to the rest. For starters, it was filmed in Lebanon, not Syria. All the guests are Syrians, but Al Jazeera is banned from working freely in Syria, as are most news outlets. To give you a fuller picture of the debate on such a contentious issue, we are providing the unedited version of the show here as the version that aired on TV was cut for time. We welcome your questions and comments. You can reach us anytime at: progfeedback@aljazeera.net Unedited version: Part one
Unedited version: Part two
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The Cafe ... AlJazeera English
Last Modified: 27 Dec 2011 09:47 |
The text being discussed is available at http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/thecafe/2011/12/201112515377949664.html |
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