By Barry Rubin
Wow, watch this less-than-four-minute video and you get the flavor of the Middle East and the “Arab Spring” in every respect. It’s an amazing story.
First, there are the masses of people in the Hama square, as far as I can see they are all male and all dressed in Western clothes, the latter point contrasting with their more pious Egyptian counterparts. They are jammed together, they are happy, celebrating, and fearless in their opposition to a terrible dictatorship. It is truly inspiring. If Obama made a thrill go up the leg of a well-known MSNBC host, this video made my spirit soar.
Remember, this is Hama, the city where the regime murdered between 10,000 and 20,000 people in 1982, levelling large whole neighborhoods, because of a very small-scale Muslim Brotherhood insurgency. Without taking anything away from the real sufferings of Egypt’s people, Syria is a real police state on a level with Stalinist Russia and Saddam’s Iraq; Mubarak was a sweetie in comparison to the Asad regime in Syria.
To go into Tahrir Square in Cairo was to take some risk; to go into Hama’s square like this you better write your will beforehand. In fact, the author of this song, a local singer, was already killed by the regime before this recording was made.
Yet how can you have a revolution–or anything in the Middle East–without blaming the United States? The words call dictator Bashar al-Asad and his colleagues American agents. Get it? In Egypt, the Obama Administration backed the revolution and the result is massive anti-Americanism.
In Syria, the Obama Administration (let’s face it, despite the minor squeaks of dismay from the White House) backs the dictatorship and the result is massive anti-Americanism. And for balance, the United States also gets no street credit for the policy of President George W. Bush for the toughest anti-regime policy in history.
So these are the paradoxes of the region: anti-Americanism if you do; anti-Americanism if you don’t. An inspiring massive upwelling of popular demands for freedom but with the Muslim Brotherhood and all kinds of extremists waiting to seize power. The hope for real democracy and the shadow of just another repressive dictatorship.
Still, watch this video for one of the more glorious moments in the modern history of the Arab peoples. (Note the “s” in people, contrary to Arab nationalist ideology.
PS: Since this is a “family blog” don’t post on the talkbacks the translation of the obscene line that the translators left out! 
According to the translation they accused Maher and not his brother Bashar of being an American agnet, not that it really matters since it’s the same regime. Do you think it’s because of Obama? My guess is they’ll accuse the regime of being American agents even if Obama called for Bashar to go now, yesterday. The only surprise is they didn’t accuse anyone of being a Zionist or a Zionist agent, but I guess they just left it for other songs.
The rejection of pan-Arab nationalism by the Syrian opposition is largely due to the pan-Arab ideology of Assad’s Ba’ath. You can take this video for what you like but the sight of hundreds of thousands of Syrians demanding freedom in the midst of one the most the brutal regimes in the Arab World is an awesome sight. The regime’s rule rests now on two factors: the loyalty of the army and the unity of the Alawite minority. Its kill or be killed. For the Assad family, there is really no third option and reform and democracy would spell the end of their absolute hold on power.
The song, the rhythm, the drumbeats, were really catchy. I think it helps fire up peoples’ imaginations and probably leads to militant activity which, in that context, must be fearless.
But you’ll notice, that like all of the “arab spring” uprisings…while they each hate their respective dictators…they equally hate America.
That I don’t think will ever change, and so it’s time for us to be tough and
not constantly kow tow to them hoping they will then change their feelings
toward us. After all, we are nice people and only want to be loved by everyone. I can’t wait for 2012 when we can get tough again.
I am very upset, as an American, that the Obama Administration is siding with a serial, mass murdering dictator against an oppressed citizenry. and I am upset that the Syrian protesters, who are, literally, risking their lives in ways I cannot imagine think the US is the enemy.
My Senator, Pat Toomey, just issued a press release in support of the Syrian people against the Dictator Bashar al-Assad. Americans are, I thought, on the side of Freedom.
The Obama Administration simply can’t be trusted with foreign policy, particularly, in the Middle East.
I understand why they think the US is evil; they have seen us only through the filter of what Arab culture and media show us- evil incarnate.
But that is the opportunity. They may not know who and how we really are but if and when the regime comes down, the people of Syria will find that the democratic nations of the world are their friends and will (I hope) help them build up their nation.