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Editorial: Wait and see on Assad, Syria Editor's note: The following editorial was published in the Daily Tidings in July 2000. Syria has a new president, Bashar Assad, the son of former President Hafez Assad, who died in June after 30 years in power. Bashar Assad formally assumed the presidency after a national election in which he was the only candidate. "We cannot apply the democracy of others to ourselves," he told the adoring members of Parliament. No kidding. Americans cannot and should not assume that countries in other parts of the world will appreciate, strive for or adopt the trappings of American-style democratic governance. We would be arrogant to do so. But we also should not get too excited about the possibilities of modernization and democratic change in Syria just because the son of a former general, who seized power in a coup in 1970, now takes power in that country and begins talking about reforms. Bashar Assad has promised to modernize the nation's economy. That's good. But he also has restated his father's strident intentions never to grant concessions on Syria's demand for land in the Golan Heights, captured by Israel in the 1967 war. Recovery of the Golan Heights, in fact, "is at the top of our national priorities," he said. It will take months, perhaps years, for the international community to understand the new role to be played by Bashar Assad in the complicated dance that is Mideast politics. In the meantime, we aren't expecting any quick moves toward representative government in Damascus, American-style or Syrian-style. We expect Bashar Assad will have his hands full for months consolidating his power over the military and other critical factions in his country. LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -