The Education of an Idealist: A Memoir

by Samantha Power

IN 2011, THE SYRIAN REVOLUTION had begun like the other uprisings across the Arab world—with jubilant, largely peaceful protests. Given the earth-shattering developments taking place in Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya, Syrians believed they were riding a wave of history that would soon wash away their oppressive and corrupt government, which had been led by the Assad family since 1970. During this early stage of the revolution, I was still working at the White House and had the chance to meet Syrian opposition and civil society leaders who traveled to Washington seeking US support. Often wielding large maps, they excitedly pointed out the towns that were no longer controlled by the Syrian authorities, and they described voting for the first time in free elections to choose the local committees that would govern newly liberated areas. But within a matter of months, the bright future had darkened. The Syrian regime, run since 2000 by President Bashar al-Assad, responded to the opposition’s progress with violent tactics more inhumane than anything I had seen since researching the Rwandan genocide for “A Problem from Hell.” Initially, the Syrian police rounded up critics, while government snipers shot at protesters. Before long, Syrian forces began firing on the funerals of those killed. They also filmed the mourners so that they could identify more opposition supporters to arrest. Many of those detained were tortured and some were executed. Assad’s army soon increased its firepower...

Damn.