In the Lion's Den_ An Eyewitness Account of Washington's Battle With Syria - Andrew Tabler [12]
There were other problems as well. Syrian oil production declined as the country’s oil fields slowly ran dry. Assad had also realized that the state’s tired socialist public sector would be unable to create enough jobs for the waves of Syrian youngsters that were soon to enter the job market. So, in 1996, Damascus called on the European Union’s help to “rehabilitate” Syria’s ancient trading and capitalist systems. Brussels, trying to engage Syria to help support the peace process, was only too happy to help. The SEBC was born.
I explained to Alf all about OBG and presented him with some of our publications on Lebanon, Turkey, and Egypt. After flipping through each one, Alf confirmed that this was just what Syria needed: a quality publication on the country that dealt more with the economy than the country’s difficult political issues. When I proposed a partnership with SEBC, similar to our work with chambers of commerce and business associations in other countries, he immediately agreed that it was a great idea.
To my surprise, however, Alf said the decision to set up a partnership was not his. It was up to Rola Bayda—one of several administrators. Alf set up a meeting and escorted me to Rola’s office.
Rola shook my hand, smiled, and asked me to sit down. Like the SEBC staff I had seen earlier, Rola had ivory skin, brown hair, and light eyes, which, while initially kind, also appeared cold and calculating. I briefly introduced OBG and showed her some of our other reports on authoritarian countries in the Arab world. I explained that we normally partner with organizations like SEBC and that the center had come highly recommended. After flipping through our report on Egypt, Rola closed the cover and stared intently at me for what seemed like an eternity.
“Great,” she said, finally breaking the silence. “When do we start?”
Two months later I was back in Cairo, finishing up a long day of organizing and writing at OBG’s offices at the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt (AmCham). Getting stuff done at AmCham, which was funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), was a hell of a lot easier than it was in Syria. The Internet was fast, nearly everyone seemed to have a cell phone, and take-out food deliveries arrived in less than thirty minutes. Maybe I was being too hard on old Egypt, I thought as I walked home.
My cell phone rang when I reached the front of my apartment building in Agouza. “Where are you?” my mother said as quickly as I picked up. “CNN is reporting two planes have hit the World Trade Center in New York.”
Two planes didn’t sound like an accident. I had canceled my satellite TV connection when I started working in Syria to save a few dollars, so I jumped in a cab and headed back to AmCham. Along the way I dialed as many American friends in Cairo as I could. The fact that no one answered unnerved me.
I immediately headed to the executive director’s office—the only one I knew who had a television. As I entered the room, I saw half a dozen senior AmCham staff gathered around a blaring television, which was showing footage of a jet ploughing into the World Trade Center’s south tower. My heart seemed to move into my throat as I panicked. I immediately dialed everyone I knew in New York, but all the lines were busy. As I put the phone down, I noticed I was the only one in the room saying anything. Some paced back and forth, while others just stared at the screen in disbelief. But the same thing was on all our minds: nothing would ever be the same again.
I loved Egypt and had made many great Egyptian friends. Nevertheless, there were issues coursing through Egypt and the Arab world that were not only anti-American but against Western civilization as a whole. When I left AmCham a few hours later, everything seemed normal. Shopkeepers and passers-by gathered around radios and TVs, listening to news coverage of the attacks. I headed over to the home of an Egyptian-American friend who subscribed to CNN.
On TV, pundits were already speculating about who was responsible for the