Now on Fikra Forum

This week on Fikra Forum, contributors wrote about the importance of increasing international pressure on Syria, as well as Morocco's changing political landscape as parliamentary elections draw near.    

As always, we encourage Fikra Forum contributors and readers to engage in these discussions. Are energy sanctions key to pressuring Asad's regime? Will Morocco's referendum become a model for Arab reform or will the proposed changes fall short of expectations and prompt further protests? 

As always, if you have a comment or idea, please contact us at fikraforum@gmail.com!  

Sincerely,  

David Pollock 

Fikra Forum  

On August 9, Turkish foreign minister Ahmet Davutoglu visited Damascus and met with President Bashar al-Asad for six hours on the Syrian regime's brutal crackdown on anti-regime protestors. Following the meeting, President Asad announced that he would continue his assault on "terrorist armed gangs," while Davutoglu said he expected certain "changes" in the coming days. While it's unclear what those changes would be, sources say Turkey's key demands were for Asad to pull its forces back from Hama, Deraa and Deir Ez Zour. If and when that indeed happens, given the scale of the brutality, its unclear why anti-regime protestors would not return to the streets.

For months, Washington, Ankara, and its Arab allies urged Asad to launch comprehensive political reforms as a way to start a political process that would end the bloodshed and lead a transition to democratic rule. As the Asad regime's brute repression in the cities of Hama and Deir Ez Zour completely undermined the credibility of the regime's reform promises, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Kuwait this week followed Qatar's recent decision to denounce the regime's brutality and withdraw its ambassador. Read More.

By Sarah Feuer

Just over one month since an overwhelming majority of Moroccan citizens voted to adopt a new constitution, the country has begun to prepare for legislative elections, scheduled to take place on October 7. As violence and unrest continue to engulf other parts of the Arab world, the relative stability of Morocco's five-month old experiment in constitutional change would seem to offer an alternative model of reform, and observers might be tempted to take for granted a smooth transition to a more transparent, accountable government in the Fall. But the stakes of the upcoming elections remain extremely high, and whether Moroccan lawmakers manage to lay the groundwork for a new, more democratic system remains far from certain. Read More.