(New York Review of Books) Anonymous - Over the last couple of weeks the mood in Damascus has rapidly blackened. More people appear to have lost faith in the regime. There are increasingly frequent power cuts, and suddenly, lines of people with plastic containers snaking around petrol stations as supplies of heating oil run low. Prices of all household products are rising. A canister of cooking gas has risen to 1000 SYP from 250 SYP. Damascus has not been a hub of support for the regime as is often portrayed. Behind closed doors in the suburb of Harasta, just ten minutes from the center, young men lift t-shirts and roll up trouser legs to reveal bruises and cuts. Many are beaten during demonstrations or detained in security cells for days at a time. There is widespread feeling of amazement that the revolt has lasted this long. Older men chastise themselves for having silently put up with this regime for four decades until taught by their sons and daughters that enough was enough.
2011-12-08 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive