'Hama Rules'

Thomas Friedman writes in the New York Times (registration required) that “Nothing drives a dictatorship like Syria's more crazy than civil disobedience and truth-telling: when people stop being intimidated, stand up for their own freedom and go on strike against their occupiers. The Lebanese can't play by Hama Rules and must stop playing by the old Lebanese Rules. They must start playing by Baghdad Rules. Baghdad Rules mean the Lebanese giving the Syrian regime - every day, everywhere - the purple finger.”

The assassinated former Prime Minister Hariri stopped playing by "Lebanese Rules" and openly challenged Syrian imperialism. The message from the Syrian regime to Washington, Paris and Lebanon's opposition is clear "You want to play here, you'd better be ready to play by Hama Rules - and Hama Rules are no rules at all… we blow up prime ministers here. We shoot journalists. We fire on the Red Cross. We leveled one of our own cities. You want to play by Hama Rules, let's see what you've got. Otherwise, hasta la vista, baby."

The Lebanese “must unite all their communities and hit the Syrian regime with "Baghdad Rules," which were demonstrated 10 days ago by the Iraqi people. Baghdad Rules are when an Arab public does something totally unprecedented: it takes to the streets, despite the threat of violence from jihadists and Baathists, and expresses its democratic will”.

Urmee Khan