Syrian defectors attack Air Force intelligence base

Syrian defectors attack Air Force intelligence base

The Free Syrian Army attacked a Syrian Air Force intelligence base in Harastam, in the suburbs of Damascus. While the defectors have attacked a variety of military installations in the past weeks, the security complex is the most prominent target since the beginning of the eight-month uprisings, and is significant because of its location in the Syrian capital. These acts, as well as recent increases in army defections, are raising concerns that what had been a largely a protest movement is officially escalating into armed conflict. Meanwhile, the Arab League is meeting in Morocco to discuss further actions and to formally apply a proposed suspension on Syria. While Arab leaders said Syria was welcome to attend the meeting, Syrian officials boycotted “in light of statements by officials in Morocco.” Turkey, although not a member of the Arab League, is also present at the meeting. The country is taking an increasingly hard stance on Syria and announced that it is halting joint oil exploration and also considering cutting energy supplies. Turkey’s Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said, “We have given a last opportunity to the Syrian regime but they didn’t want to seize it.”

Headlines  

• The head of the Congress for the Republic, Moncef Marzouki, a physician and former leader of the Tunisian League of Human Rights, was selected as interim president of Tunisia.
• Going a step further to fulfill terms of their May unity agreement, Fatah and Hamas look set to hold elections for the first time in six years, expected to take place in May.
• Two bombs exploded in the southern city of Tyre, Lebanon in a liquor store and a hotel frequented by U.N. peacekeepers apparently because both sell alcohol.
• Yemeni forces killed seven suspected al-Qaeda militants in the southern province of Abyan.
• Palestinian “Freedom Riders” were arrested for riding an Israeli settler commuter bus attempting to enter Jerusalem without permits.
• The French consul to Gaza and his family were injured during an Israeli airstrike bringing into question Israel’s ability to avoid civilian harm in efforts to ensure Israeli security.

Daily Snapshot

Secretary general of the Arab League Nabil al-Arabi (R) sits alongside Qatari foreign minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem al-Thani (L) during a meeting in Rabat on November 16, 2011. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime will pay dearly for the deadly crackdown it has unleashed on its own people, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said. ‘The Syrian regime is going to pay very dearly for what it has done,’ Davutoglu told journalists in Rabat, where Arab League ministers are to discuss sanctions against the Damascus regime (ABDELHAK SENNA/AFP/Getty Images).

Arguments & Analysis

‘Challenges of Egypt’s economic transition’ (Ibrahim Saif, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace)

“A successful transition to democracy can be facilitated by a sound economy and the economic well-being of citizens. Indeed, the transitional government led by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) that is managing the country until the parliamentary and presidential elections are held is facing tremendous challenges. Yet it has unwisely rushed to fulfill the populist demands of the revolution with little consideration of their long-term effects. While perhaps politically expedient, reactive measures-such as the government’s recent increase in the public-sector minimum wage and the extension of fixed contracts to 450,000 public employees-are nonetheless placing added pressure on an already unsustainable budget deficit. Combined with the maintenance of economically inefficient subsidies, the long-term implications of continued poor economic policymaking will be severe.” 

‘Is it the Islamists vs. the military?’ (Issandr El Amrani, Al Masry Al Youm)

“Polls of Egyptian public opinion suggest that while this country is deeply pious and wants to retain some aspects of religion in public life, the majority want a secular state that does not differentiate between citizens according to their religion. Likewise, this is a fiercely patriotic country where the military holds an important symbolic role, but most Egyptians want a civilian state. In Arabic, the word most commonly used for both civilian and secular is madani – the distinction that could be made by using the word almani (secular in a strict sense) is not often made because the latter word has been tinged with negative associations in Islamist discourse. So, the majority want a dawla madaniya: a civilian-run state whose institutions are secular. In other words, a civic state. It doesn’t have to be about the Islamists vs. the military, and the idea of a basic covenant outlining general principles that will underpin the next constitution — like Mohamed ElBaradei’s idea of a bill of rights — did not have to be complicated. Unfortunately, the SCAF is trying to make matters more tortuous than they really are.”

Recent posts on the Channel

— ‘Egypt’s elections: don’t panic!’ by Marc Lynch

— ‘Meet the new president of Tunisia‘ by David Kenner