Liberal leaders say they have a plan for a new, more effective anti-Trump resistance    Stampedes at Christmas charity events kill 67 people in Nigeria    A man's suicide leads to clamor around India's dowry law    Slovak PM meets Putin in surprise Moscow visit    Environment minister inaugurates Yanbu Grain Handling Terminal    Saudi deputy FM meets Sudan's Sovereign Council chief in Port Sudan    Kuwait, India to elevate bilateral relations to strategic partnership Sheikh Mishal awards Mubarak Al-Kabir Medal to Modi    MoH to penalize 5 health practitioners for professional violations    Al-Samaani: Saudi Arabia to work soon on a comprehensive review of the legal system    Arabian Gulf Cup begins with dramatic draws and a breathtaking ceremony in Kuwait    GACA report: 928 complaints filed by passengers against airlines in November    Riyadh Season 5 draws record number of over 12 million visitors    Fury vs. Usyk: Anticipation builds ahead of Riyadh's boxing showdown    Saudi Arabia to compete in 2025 and 2027 CONCACAF Gold Cup tournaments    Marianne Jean-Baptiste on Oscars buzz for playing 'difficult' woman    PDC collaboration with MEDLOG Saudi to introduce new cold storage facilities in King Abdullah Port Investment of SR300 million to enhance logistics capabilities in Saudi Arabia    Al Shabab announces departure of coach Vítor Pereira    My kids saw my pain on set, says Angelina Jolie    Legendary Indian tabla player Zakir Hussain dies at 73    Eminem sets Riyadh ablaze with unforgettable debut at MDLBEAST Soundstorm    Order vs. Morality: Lessons from New York's 1977 Blackout    India puts blockbuster Pakistani film on hold    The Vikings and the Islamic world    Filipino pilgrim's incredible evolution from an enemy of Islam to its staunch advocate    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



The Rumors and the Revolution
Published in AL HAYAT on 15 - 08 - 2012

Rumors are the cornerstone of psychological war, which constitutes another facet of war on the field. And in light of the major progress affecting communication means and photography techniques, it has become logical to question everything we hear and see on television channels and on the web, and even what we read in newspapers. President Bashar al-Assad previously announced that what was happening in Syria was a “satellite war," to corroborate the fact that everything witnessed in his country was fabricated, especially at the level of the violent practices exercised by his troops against the Syrian people.
Now, anyone can deliver information, in light of the visual media outlets' need to fill the time. This information maintains an apparent logic, but its credibility collapses in the face of any attempt to check its core, which is fueling the war of rumors in a way never before witnessed by humanity.
Hence, it has become difficult to learn about the nature of this or that incident, or check the identity of its heroes.
Moreover, it has become impossible to check the source and content of what is reaching us in terms of reports related to the regime and its practices, while the same goes for the opposition. One example for that is the tape which was posted online, showing armed oppositionists carrying out hideous acts against supporters of the regime. These armed men, who were celebrating the occupation of an official administrative building, probably aimed at showing their strength and at warning the defenders of the regime against the bleak fate that awaits them.
However, some believe that the regime fabricated that tape to show that the armed opposition was perpetrating inhumane acts against its opponents, and at shedding light on the bleak fate awaiting the supporters of the regime in the event of its defeat.
Hence, the same time is serving purposes in favor of both sides involved in the fighting.
When the security headquarters were detonated in Damascus – where senior officials were killed – the audience did not get confirmed information about the perpetrator, while mystery is still surrounding the explosion. Consequently, numerous theories emerged about its nature and those involved in it, knowing that the building in which the higher security commanders met should be the most guarded and under heavy security protection, especially in light of the open war in the country. One of those theories considered that the explosion fell in the context of internal liquidations related to the ways to manage and exit the crisis. Nevertheless, the reemergence of the talk about Maher al-Assad's injuring in this explosion undermined that theory and confirmed once again it was carried out by the opposition, which did not present any signs pointing to its responsibility for this act.
In the absence of any transparency and credibility and in light of the reliance on the war of rumors, each event is carrying a meaning, a purpose and their opposite at the same time.
Still, no matter how fierce this war of rumors gets, the confirmed facts on the ground are seen in the massive destruction witnessed in all the Syrian cities, the high number of dead and escapees from the Syrian killing machine, as well as the testimonies of the defectors about the regime's nature and practices. Moreover, there are facts related to the inhumane practices of armed men at least working under the banner of the opposition, if they are not members in it.
Eventually, these are the facts that should determine the direction of the crisis and the ways to exit it, not the rumors and media fabrications. And as much as the opposition adopts transparency and distances itself from obnoxious behavior which might occur here and there, as much as it will guarantee the accomplishment of the main goals it set, especially in regard to the unity of the state and the country under a new democratic and pluralistic regime.


Clic here to read the story from its source.