The American Ambassador in Hama

by Dr. Abdul-Sattar Kassem

The United States is interfering, with utter insolence and impudence, in Syria’s internal affairs, and in doing so it is grievously insulting the Syrian people and their legitimate demands for freedom, for participation in decision-making, and for the establishment of a modern political system that upholds justice and achieves the liberation of the homeland and the unity of Greater Syria (Bilad al-Sham). The American ambassador, with utter impudence, visited the city of Hama, which is witnessing broad popular mobilization against the Syrian security apparatus, thereby insulting the city of Hama, its people, and their demands. This ambassador could not have made this visit had it not been for two factors:

First: the regime’s slowness in carrying out the political reforms that are required. The regime has disregarded all the advice and opinions that came to it from within Greater Syria and from outside it, both before the demonstrations broke out and after, and has insisted on its own particular way of handling the situation, especially its security-based approach. Through its security policies it has led the country into further dangers and bloodshed, and has opened the door wide for others to interfere in Syria’s internal affairs;

Second: the availability of elements among the sons of the Syrian people who are willing and ready to cooperate with the invading colonizers, foremost among them the United States. These are elements prepared to bargain away the country’s independence, dignity, and honor, and ready to cooperate with enemies — including the Zionist entity — in the service of their own interests and the interests of the intruders.

It is noteworthy that the Syrian regime has not yet taken any action against the American ambassador, whereas he ought to be expelled, along with the French ambassador as well. I fear that the regime is exercising the same considerable reservations we have seen from it in its confrontation with Israel. It does not possess sufficient courage to be serious in confrontation and in insisting on protecting independence and liberating homelands.

The regime is required to hasten in taking serious steps toward reform, foremost among them changing the pillars of the regime who have nurtured corruption and security control over the people — such as the heads of the security apparatuses, the editors-in-chief of the newspapers and official media outlets, and others. The Syrians, for their part, are required to preserve the purity and integrity of their popular movement. We remind them that the youth of Tunisia and the youth of Egypt refused to deal with the American secretary of state, on the grounds that she wishes no good for their countries. We do not want to repeat what happened in Iraq, when the Iraqis sought help from the burning desert sand to fight the fire. America destroyed Iraq, annihilated its people, shed blood, and squandered its wealth under the banner of spreading democracy. We certainly want to establish advanced political systems, but we do not want America’s democracy.

It must also be noted that there are Syrians — some of whom claim to be leaders of the Syrian revolution — who welcome the American ambassador’s visit to the city of Hama. These cannot be patriotic Syrians, and they cannot be trusted to achieve the demands of the great Syrian people.

Source: Translated from the original Arabic, “السفير الأمريكي في حماة” by Dr. Abdul-Sattar Kassem.