A friend of mine, who spent two years in Damascus doing research for a PhD in Islamic history and who will also soon start a year-long teaching stint at a well-known Midwestern university, said the Syrian government allowed Dr. Labouni free reign to speak his mind on NPR and call for American intervention to “free” Syria because just such a call would not only wreck any legitimacy he would have among Syrians, but also damage the unity of and popular support for any anti-government organizations. Syria is certainly a brutal police state, but it is not run by idiots. Unlike … Continue reading The Rope to Hang Himself With