Sarkis naoum biography of martin

Sarkis Naoum, Senior Columnist for Annahar newspaper in Beirut, discussed the crisis in Syria and its implications for Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, and Iran.

On April 15, the Middle East Program at the Woodrow Wilson Center hosted a meeting, “A Conversation with Sarkis Naoum.” Aaron David Miller, Vice President of New Initiatives and Distinguished Scholar at the Wilson Center, moderated the event.

Haleh Esfandiari, Director of the Middle East Program at the Wilson Center, provided opening remarks.  

Naoum described the crisis in Syria as sectarian in nature, as the Alawites continue to support the Bashar al-Assad regime fearing retribution from the Sunnis while Christians and other minorities also maintain their allegiances accordingly.

At its outset, unrest in Syria began as a movement of popular protest against the ruling regime; yet, in time, sectarian tensions have taken on greater dimensions in the conflict, embroiling the country in i