Syria away from everything 
The public display of pictures made by the dictator have been ever ubiquitous in Baathist Syria, addressed whether as a soldier in camouflage, the mirror sunglasses look resolutely into the distance or as a statesman, with patterned tie with a friendly smile. As once the father Hafiz - monumental concrete monuments across the country tell of its size - can also Bashar al-Assad a huge cult to celebrate his person. His portraits are found on city-wide illuminated billboards, they decorate any kind of public buildings, sometimes large formats in the form of a mural or mosaic, they hang mandatory in every shop and decorate, usually in the form of a black-or silver-colored reliefs and topped with the word "Saut Al-Haqq" ("Voice of Truth"), the rear windows of many Cars (only the most zealous is also the front window as a loyalty card). Often they show Bashar along with the deceased father, a charismatic founding figure easily removed, yet powerful and waking dominates the background. In addition, sometimes joined by the prematurely deceased, always added to a full beard and aviator recognizable brother Basel, the first-born than actually deserves the throne had, or the friendly-looking Lebanese Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, to which the regime now quite openly maintains very cordial relations, completed the round. To boot, shaped the city, due to many many national flags, along with flags of the Palestinian "brother people", an expression of pan-Arab and anti-imperialist sentiments prescribed. And the security apparatus shows plenty of presence: young soldiers are running extremely old with Kalashnikovs around their guard post, they get bored before countless offices, ministries, administrations and other public places and residences of the ruling elite. Cars of the intelligence available to observation posts in the area.
The inevitable sight of Syria Bashar al-Assad can irritate. The tall, skinny man of about 40 with the chubby cheeks and the adolescent acting, shaggy little mustache will so remember not to a Bokassa or Pinochet, so here he looks a little awkward and generally not too presentable. But even if it is, in the year 2000, succeeded his father ENTERED actually a Game Boy junkie, he met him, but the task has fallen, with some verve and no less heavy hand. On the occasion of his inauguration, he granted amnesty still a handful of political prisoners and allowed his subjects finally access to the Internet and satellite television. He woke with some hope for "Syrian thaw" and two years later but walked back to jail many who had tried to use this supposed new freedom. The tentative beginnings of democratic culture of discussion (a little cocky, "Damascus Spring") were soon swept away and disappeared completely from the scene. The system knew and still knows only the language of force. The approximately week-long uprising of the traditionally disadvantaged Kurds in the north-east of the country was put down bloody usual, and other conflicts between ethnic or religious groups, such as the Alawites and Ismailis in the northwest, were also just nipped militarily. shall publicly on major issues, visit Bashar give as little as under Hafiz, the secret is omnipresent as the insignia and potentates of the state, and inter-confessional and inter-tribal national unity is invoked again and again, as if you could bring them talk. Bashar, however, whether actually in the position of undisputed leader and top strategists is that it marks out, or whether it merely as popular, but hollow dynastic puppet of the military aristocracy acts behind him, must remain open.
on the latest threat to the regime of President responded course dramatically. be pulled up since the release of the Mehlis investigation report in mid-October, on the circumstances and background of the attack on the Lebanese politician and businessman Rafiq Hariri seems to be a new quality to national emergencies.
From now on, organized large demonstrations every day, sometimes in different cities across the country. The message is, in essence, the report showing the involvement of Syrian highest circles in the murder is, by and through political nature, it would correspond only to the interests America and Israel. Detlev Mehlis is suspected of Jewish descent. Syria demonstrated that it defies the enemy abroad, "We are against the instrumentalization of the blood of Hariri, it says on banners, and the American occupation of Iraq in mind:" We want our democracy is not yours! ". Tents to Bedouin, to open in front and all around fahnengekränzt, are now built on large squares of the capital, they are reminiscent of European rallies or vigils. Before waving flags waving flags and several thousand watt sound pounding and booming cloudless sky in the evening: "I am Syrian Arab bumm bumm bubumm I am bubumm. In one corner of the tent, there are perhaps a few young people of both sexes by candlelight in an intimate circle on cushions and carpets, crouching a little camp romance, probably dull tingling idea of a breath of freedom in the midst of agitation, rare opportunity, given general background of prudery. No one else. What is fair from a distance as a powerful manifestation of people flush appears, turns out on closer inspection to be papier-mache dummy, symbolic of so many things in this country. Here, it seems, can do without extensive propaganda efforts to spend their fantasies as reality. It promotes rather a form of "tribal loyalty" against the authoritarian apparatus, which means nothing more than simple allegiance and submission. The persuasiveness of the arguments came to the opposite only of secondary importance, because the subs does each legend anyway without being asked. The fiction invents complement her frame of reference, storytellers and story lovers wonderfully well in this game. And every critical thought is already unlocked in the dissident rhetoric of the system: America, you hate to do better.
the occasion of the demos now pupils, students and government employees by education and work are exempted. Who does not know the date, the finds him perhaps by the officially sent SMS to his mobile phone. Signaling elements for national and state-tested slogans and banners is ensured, everything, that's for sure, remain under control. The share of intelligence henchmen in the demonstration nation is difficult to estimate.
The propaganda campaign reaches its climax with the live televised presidential address on 10 November at the University of Damascus. About an hour can Bashar about the impending colonization of Syria, he lists the strategies of the enemy, tells stories about plans international circles and their agents against Syria and the Region in general, which are among others the cause of the undemocratic conditions in Lebanon (the results of recent elections there were not to the taste of Syria) and criticizes the cunning of Israel in particular, regularly interrupted by the euphoric clapping and occasionally jumping up and slogans chanting gang of notables in the audience. Here is the picture of the bathroom and of course the enthusiastic flag-waving crowd. Thousands lined the parade luxury sedan and push the leader, who shakes a few hands. After lunch we really got going. Especially you can still see how submits to an intelligence official backward on the hood president to then some overly enthusiastic wegzutreten brutal, some of whom but one perhaps to the circle of his colleagues.
The next day, the press celebrated the "merger of people and leadership" in big letters. The key messages from this truly keynote address will be listed, one will find her literally in the next days and weeks as the slogans on banners. In the subsequent period to the newspapers, how to calm, who stand or claimed to be firmly and steadfastly to Syria page: Russia, Libya, Hezbollah, Bahrain, etc., but only in the case of Hezbollah and the leadership of Iran is well actually assumed. The cover photo shows the President often in bilateral talks with another head of state, one is ready to give rise to any impression of international isolation, although this is clearly yet. On the streets of the flags are still more, some places threatens to drown in the red-white-black and even private citizens are taking an increasing flag. Sometimes running the intelligence from house to house, calls access to the homes of the front, provides for a number of flags on the windows and balconies. In central places ever is a huge national colored band lowered from the roof or you stretched banners garland across the street. Public advertising space is now a large Amount requisitioned, to show the image Bashar over and over again. Also known actors praise the flag waving behind him the love of country. Instead of promoting Italian gas stoves (100% sure) is now bored with the national banner and a "God bless you, oh Syria" temporary passersby.
This sea of flags, it is really intended to inspire the patriotic pathos, or maybe just numb over all policy of "up there"? Lies in fact a strategy behind all-powerful, or do we see only the momentum of a system in crisis, which is ideologically in the power of Nation building? The President said in his speech, the moral defeat make at least half if not three quarters of all real defeat. It is in Syria, that much is abundantly clear on the battle for the minds, are measured in media propaganda to the unconsciousness of utmost importance. An expression of this effort was recently the extensive presentation of the witness Hussam Taher Hussam overturned on Syrian television. Also in this story was again not the conviction in the first place. Hussam, one of the main witness of the UN Commission of Inquiry in the Hariri case, said he had fled to Syria to escape the Lebanese secret service, his testimony before the Commission was forced by torture and numbness. In addition, Hariri's son for him with making false statements, $ 1,300,000 had to bribe, which he refused. Hussam retracted all his statements made. Essential detail of this production: Hussam is Kurdish. Kurdish citizens were thus in the subsequent weeks of a pat on regime by convincing followers to be certain, Hussam revealed another irrefutable proof for the existence of national unity.
