BEIRUT: The opposition Syrian Council announced Thursday that, should it come to power in Syria, it will seek to re-evaluate agreements between Syria and Lebanon and clearly demarcate the border between the two countries as a first step toward achieving better bilateral relations.

“The Syrian National Council seeks a bright future with Lebanon … we will review agreements signed between the two countries and reach new agreements based on the ind...

By Edmund Blair, Shaimaa Fayed

Reuters

CAIRO: Tens of thousands massed in Cairo’s Tahrir Square and other Egyptian cities Wednesday, a year after an uprising erupted that toppled Hosni Mubarak spurred on revolts across the region and exposed rifts in the Arab world’s most populous state.

United last year by popular anger at Mubarak and his 30-year rule, Egyptians gathering on the Jan. 25 a...

This article attempts to analyse the foundations of a despotic regime in order to understand the reasons underlying its success in exerting its control over a country, crippling political life, taming people, and maintaining its rule for many years. The article will take the Syrian regime between 1970 (the year of the “Correction Movement” which led Hafez Al-Assad to presidency) to 2000 (the year the president died) as a case study.

It is impor...

Syrian activists and intellectuals have recently been defending the non-violent character of the revolution in the face of calls for armed struggle against the Assad regime. Nine months after the first protests and sit-ins erupted in Syria, more than 5,000 have been killed, tens of thousands injured, tortured and forced into exile, while at least 15,000 souls languish in prisons under horrifying conditions.

The following lines are a contributio...