For several days, Syrians waited in a state of anticipation to hear and read what Bashar Assad would say during his interview with Sky News. As disappointed as they may have been, it would be unrealistic to say that any of his responses to the questions asked were surprising. For years, he has been deflecting, accusing, and spouting scenarios that exist only in his own mind to explain the destruction, devastation, and death that has been occurring in Syria since 2011 and this most recent interview was just more of the same.
When asked why those who became refugees are not returning to their homeland, Assad claimed it was the “image of war” that was to blame and also stated that half a million Syrians have returned home and were “pardoned” by the regime
Ruthanne Sikora
Contrary to well-known facts and mountains of evidence, Assad continues to deny any responsibility for the events that have unfolded in Syria forcing millions of men, women, and children to flee their homeland thus affecting neighboring countries and Europe as well. When asked why those who became refugees are not returning to their homeland, Assad claimed it was the “image of war” that was to blame and also stated that half a million Syrians have returned home and were “pardoned” by the regime. In reality, the majority of those who were returned to Syria were sent there by the governments of Turkey and Lebanon against their will and, if they have not disappeared by now, are living the same miserable lives as the rest of the Syrians who have remained inside of the country.
it is those who reside in the areas under the control of the regime who are suffering the most. It was they who were most disappointed by what was said in the interview as they had put their last vestiges of hope in the possibility that Assad had some sort of plan to relieve their misery
Ruthanne Sikora
And by far, it is those who reside in the areas under the control of the regime who are suffering the most. It was they who were most disappointed by what was said in the interview as they had put their last vestiges of hope in the possibility that Assad had some sort of plan to relieve their misery. But alas, he did not, and their hopes came crashing down like the multitude of buildings he has destroyed with his unholy war machine in the past 12 years. And all the while, his wife Asma keeps finding ways to fill her designer handbags with what little money is left for Syrians to live on as the average government worker’s salary now equals approximately 7 USD per month.
Syrians who believed Assad’s promise that things would be great for those who remained loyal to him by the time he finished ridding the country of the “terrorists” who opposed him are finally accepting that he is a failed leader of a devastated country that is quickly sinking into ruin and, as long as he remains in power, no one is going to come to their aid. One commentator posited that the poverty line no longer exists in Syria as it is now experiencing a full-blown famine. Even the words that came from Assad’s mouth had the effect of devaluing the Syrian currency as they saw it drop from 13,000 Syrian pounds for every $1 to 14,000 in the course of the Sky News interview.
Assad’s removal has always been a matter that needs to be handled by the Syrian people and hopefully they will be able to achieve it soon
Ruthanne Sikora
Word on the street in Syria has it that it won’t take much for those who feel they have nothing left to lose to hit the streets en masse calling for him to step down, which would be the internal demands he claimed he would respond to in the interview. Assad’s removal has always been a matter that needs to be handled by the Syrian people and hopefully they will be able to achieve it soon.
