Syria’s defiant Assad slams West in TV interview

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad appeared in a rare television interview Wednesday, accusing the West of attempting to colonize his country. He said the West will pay a high price for what he claimed was support for al Qaeda in Syria’s conflict. The Assad interview was broadcast by pro-government al-Ikhbariya TV, on Syria’s Independence Day, which commemorates the end of the French occupation in 1946. Assad seemed to have hardened his stance on the war saying, "There is no option but victory," and maintained that he will not step down, asserting "no to surrender, no to submission." Additionally, he rejected claims of a sectarian element in the conflict stating, "I can say, without exaggeration, that sectarianism is less pronounced in Syria now than at the beginning of this conflict." Assad also criticized Jordan for allowing rebel fighters to move freely across the border. His comments came as the United States and Jordan announced that 200 U.S. Army specialists in intelligence, logistics, and operations are being sent to Jordan to work with Jordanian forces to mitigate border violence. Meanwhile tensions are increasing along Syria’s ceasefire line with Israel over concerns that violence will escalate along the border. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his growing fears of weapons falling into the wrong hands in Syria, and stressed "we are prepared to defend ourselves if the need arises."

Headlines

• The United Arab Emirates has arrested seven members of a suspected al Qaeda-linked cell who it claimed were plotting attacks against the Gulf country.
• Egypt’s public prosecutor has ordered the transfer of ousted President Hosni Mubarak from a military hospital back to Tora prison. Meanwhile, judicial sources announced the former leader’s retrial will begin May 11.
• Iran has ramped up the installation of advanced centrifuges at its underground Natanz nuclear plant despite tightening international sanctions.
• Pro-democracy activists are stepping up demonstrations in Bahrain ahead of Sunday’s Formula One Grand Prix.
• President of Iraq’s Kurdish region, Masoud Barzani, announced parliamentary elections will be held in September.  

Arguments and Analysis

Is The Jordanian Monarchy In Danger? (Asher Susser, Crown Center for Middle East Studies)

"The Jordanian monarchy is going through one of its most difficult periods ever. The Arab Spring has emboldened the opposition by eroding the deterrent effect of the notorious "fear of government" (haybat al-sulta) in the Arab world in general and in Jordan in particular. Additionally, economic stagnation and austerity measures driven by the International Monetary Fund have led to unprecedented discontent among the regime’s traditionally loyal East Banker elite and tribal base. In this Brief, Prof. Asher Susser analyzes the various factors that have led to the current crisis engulfing the Jordanian monarchy. However, he concludes by cautioning that the lack of a viable alternative to the Monarchy makes the situation in Jordan, though tenuous, manageable for the time being."

Turkey’s unruly rule of law (Firdevs Robinson, OpenDemocracy)

"Writing about Turkey requires a conscious effort to avoid clichés.

Within the last week, the Parliament approved a long-awaited reform package, bringing the Turkish Penal Code into line with the European Court of Human Rights. We all cheered – only to be brought down to earth by the sentence passed on the world-renowned pianist Fazil Say for posting a ‘blasphemous’ tweet. It is difficult not to say, ‘one step forward; two steps back’ 

Equally, when government interference in the media seems to have reached unprecedented levels, with more and more critical voices  silenced each day, descriptions like "the world’s biggest prison for journalists" seem less of a cliché.

To draw a clear line between Turkey’s perception of itself and reality has become more and more difficult."

–By Jennifer Parker and Mary Casey