Category Archives: Interviews

New On The Freedom Collection: Ammar Abdulhamid Updates

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February 25, 2013 | Bush Center

Syrian dissident Ammar Abdulhamid’s Freedom Collection interview provides a compelling look inside his troubled homeland.  We were very fortunate to interview him for a second time and learn about more recent developments in his country.  We are now pleased to post a recently recorded second set of interviews with Ammar, to hear his perspectives on Syria’s bloody civil war, steps that must be taken to end the violence, and building a sustainable democracy.  Continue reading →

Syria Endgame – An Interview on BrianLehrer TV

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Interview on BrianLehrer.TV

As 2012 draws to a close, we re-assess the Arab Spring and discuss U.S. intervention in Syria and relations with Iran. Joining us are: Leslie Gelb, former New York Times columnist and assistant secretary of state in the Carter administration, and now, president emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations; Ervand Abrahamian, distinguished professor of Iranian and Middle Eastern history and politics at Baruch College; and Syrian human rights activist, Ammar Abdulhamid, a fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and founder of the Tharwa Foundation. Continue reading →

Syrian rebels gain, but for how long?

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NOW Lebanon: Alex Rowell, December 6, 2012

The resignation of Syrian Foreign Ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi on Monday is just one of a series of recent setbacks for the embattled regime of President Bashar al-Assad. The news follows a week of unprecedented military victories for rebel forces, including the shooting down of two regime aircraft in as many days, a pledge by NATO to deploy Patriot surface-to-air missiles along the Turkish-Syrian border, and a diplomatic breakthrough that could see European nations arming the opposition by March 2013. Continue reading →

Syria’s Delicate Transition: An Interview with Ammar Abdulhamid

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On November 19, 2012, Sharnoff’s Global Views™ interviewed Ammar Abdulhamid. Ammar is a Syrian dissident and founder of the Tharwa Foundation. He is currently a fellow at Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

SGV: On your Website, the Syrian Revolutionary Digest, you are described as “a liberal Syrian pro-democracy activist.” How do you define liberal with respect to freedom, democracy, human rights, minority rights and women’s rights?

AA: I believe in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and other international conventions on human rights, such as the Convention Eliminating All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.

Inspired by my liberal values I started my “career” as an activist by launching the Tharwa Project in Syria as an initiative meant to facilitate the processes of democratization in the country and the wider region by addressing the issue of minority rights and improving inter-communal relations in the country.

My liberalism also includes a belief in the free market system, albeit my faith is balanced by an equal commitment to union rights and universal healthcare among other checks on the system.  Continue reading →

An Interview with Turkish TV Channel

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The transcript can be found at this link (Google Translations can give a good idea of the gist). The video is below. The interview was conducted during my three-weeks trip to Turkey in August but was aired only on September 18.

Ammar Abdulhamid röportajı by imctv

Calls Grow For U.S. To Intervene In Syrian Conflict

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By MICHELE KELEMEN, NPR

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited Istanbul this weekend to talk with Turkish officials about a post-Bashar Assad future for Syria. Clinton says it’s urgent to plan for a transition and make sure Syria’s institutions remain intact. She’s also warning against a sectarian war. But some Syrian exiles say the U.S. has done too little, too late and its messages won’t be heard as the warring factions become more radicalized. Continue reading →

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly About the Syrian Civil War

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Interviewed by Barry Rubin, PJ Media

Ammar Abdulhamid may know more about Syria’s civil war than anyone else in the world. That’s no exaggeration. An pro-democratic oppositionist living abroad, Abdulhamid has functioned on a virtual 24/7 basis as the source of news and analysis about events within Syria, always trying to be honest and accurate in his assessments regardless of his own preferences. Barry Rubin, PJMedia Middle East editor, interviewed Abdulhamid on the latest developments and trends. Continue reading →

The Pristina-Damascus Connection

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Cited by Seyward Darby, Transitions Online

PRISTINA | A few weeks ago, three Syrian opposition activists arrived in this small Balkan capital for a short visit. The trio stayed in a hotel downtown – “nothing fancy,” according to one of the activists – and met with various local dignitaries, including Kosovo’s foreign minister, advisers to the president, and the mayor of Pristina. Continue reading →

Syria Needs US Intervention Now: Ammar Abduhamid

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Interviewed by Ryan Mauro, Stop Radical Islam.org

Ammar Abduhamid is a liberal Syrian pro-democracy activist whose anti-regime activities led to his exile in September, 2005. He currently lives in Silver Spring, Maryland, with his wife, Khawla Yusuf, and their two children, Oula (b.1986) and Mouhanad (b. 1990). He is the founder of the Tharwa Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting democracy, and is currently a fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. His personal blog is the Syrian Revolution Digest. Continue reading →

Perspectives on Syria

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Insight: Conversations with today’s leading thinkers (American Abroad Media)

After more than a year of conflict, the violence in Syria is finally being recognized as a civil war. This weekend, world powers are preparing for a high-level meeting that the US hopes will be a turning point in the Syria crisis. To discuss the international community’s search for solutions and the goals of protesters, AAM sits down with Ammar Abdulhamid, a leading Syrian human rights and pro-democracy activist, and fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.  Continue reading →