I lived in the UK, a couple of years ago, for a period of ten months. It was a great experience, but I don't think I ever really understood the country. I didn't understand the strange mix of ruthless capitalism and polite friendliness, of inspiring critical thought and widespread alcohol/drug abuse, of multiculturalism and provincialism. In fact, of the five countries where I have lived, the UK is probably the one I understood and identified with the least. Nevertheless, I enjoyed living there. In particular, I enjoyed the many great walks I made - long-distance treks in the countryside, but also many city walks in London, a fascinating, multi-faceted city.
On one of those walks, I passed the Syrian embassy. In the ambassador's parking space was a beautiful, shiny old Rolls Royce. The number plate on the car said '007', and must have cost a fortune only a great fan of British culture would be willing to spend. I figured it belonged to the ambassador himself, as he is a wealthy, well-educated cosmopolitan, a man of the world who is as much home to the world of British aristocracy as to Syrian intra-party politics. The rules of nepotism are universal, after all.
He must have been very sad, this cosmopolitan James Bond fan, that he was not allowed to attend the prince's wedding. His presence was no longer considered 'appropriate' by the royal family, to which he reportedly reacted by saying he found it 'a bit embarrassing'. But he happens to represent a government which during the past couple of weeks has killed several hundred protesters. Random shooting, random killing during demonstrations of people demanding more political freedom, again and again. President Bashar al-Assad is trying hard to walk in the footsteps of his father Haffez, who once wiped out an entire urban district, killing tens of thousands of people in a city otherwise known for its beautiful wooden water wheels.
Poor ambassador. But I understand the decision of the royal family to withdraw his invitation. After all, the prince's wedding was one big PR event, designed to strengthen the position of the royal family by effectively communicating the centuries-old message that the British nation and the royal family are existentially connected; that in effect, the one cannot live without the other. A fairytale indeed, or a myth: a story that is told to convey a powerful ideological message, by not making that message explicit but trying to make it look like it is eternal, natural and self-evident. Bread and games, in other words - an event designed to legitimate power structures by depoliticising them (merci monsieur Barthes). Thus, possible associations with politics proper were to be avoided, especially if the issues were controversial. That is exactly the reason why Brown and Blair were not invited, and it is also the reason why the Syrian ambassador had to stay home and watch TV.
The prince has made the right decision, politically speaking. On Friday, the very day of the wedding, Bashar's troops killed another fifty protesters in Damascus. The world didn't watch, though, as the world was busy discussing Kate Middleton's dress. 'Finally some happy news, after all the violence we usually see on TV', somebody said on the radio. Those poor TV audiences, involuntarily confronted with suffering Arabs all the time, finally got some well-deserved romantic images they could consume and enjoy. Blissful oblivion, depoliticisation at its most powerful.
People usually associate me with East Asia (Japan and Vietnam, in particular). Rightly so, I guess. But there is another region in the world which I find beautiful and intriguing, and which I studied when I was in university - not as extensively as Japan, of course, and I never had time to learn any of the languages, but nevertheless it is a region I feel strongly attracted to. I am referring to the Middle East. I have visited Turkey, Lebanon and Israel, trips I greatly enjoyed because of the rich cultural heritage, beautiful natural landscapes and great hospitality (and food) I encountered. And before I moved to London in 2007, I travelled to Syria. I only spent two weeks in the country, but I will never forget it as it was one of the most wonderful places I have ever been. From the ruins of Palmyra to the monastery of Mar Mousa, from the churches and mosques of Damascus to the souq of Aleppo, from the friendly Kurdish bus company employee who guided me through Qamishle to the atheist refugee film maker I celebrated Iraq's Asia Cup victory with - it was a travel experience I will never forget.
One of the first things I noticed when I was in Syria was the impressive quantity of pictures of the president and his father. They are, quite literally, everywhere. Pictures and statues of father and son Al-Assad in Syria are more omnipresent than pictures of Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam. Trust me, that means something, as there is hardly a house in Vietnam that doesn't have a picture of the Great Uncle. There were so many images of the Al-Assads that it was hard to take them seriously, especially since some of them were, let's put it mildly, somewhat kitschy...
It made me wonder what people really thought about the president. The Kurdish man I spoke with was critical, of course, as apparently Bashar had broken his promise to give many stateless Kurdish residents Syrian nationality. A young lady in Damascus, on the other hand, insisted that all people in Syria loved Bashar and that he was very popular - she admiringly showed me a picture of the young president with his wife and their baby daughter. In fact, I remember that at the time international commentators and diplomats were still fairly optimistic about the apparent reform-mindedness of the president and his regime. His position seemed rather stable.
Change does not always come gradually. Sometimes there are no significant changes for ages, and then suddenly everything is turned upside-down overnight, as we have witnessed in Egypt. But I don't think the Syrian army is as willing to leave the protesters be as the Egyptian army was, and I am afraid the suffering will continue. The 'moderate' president and 'loving young father' is turning into a tyrant, a ruthless murderer who is willing to sacrifice many innocent people's lives in order to secure his own power position.
I feel sad for the people of Syria. If any of them were to read this post, by any chance, the only thing I can say is the following: thank you for the hospitality you gave me when I visited your beautiful country. I hope and pray that you will achieve what you are longing for: freedom of oppression. Your suffering has not remained completely unnoticed.
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