"It is a new era but it did not start now. It started with the Iranian revolution. What is new is that it is happening inside independent countries in the Arab world."
In a rare interview with the Wall Street Journal on Sunday, Syrian President Bashar Assad said the Middle East is diseased with stagnation and its leaders must "upgrade" themselves and their societies to keep up with the demands of their people. "We have to keep up with this change, as a state and institutions," said Assad as protests in Egypt entered their seventh day. Decades of political and economic stagnation, ideologically weak leaders, foreign interventions and war have driven the discontent that exploded on the streets of Tunisia and Egypt, he said. "It is a new era," said Assad, "but it did not start now. It started with the Iranian revolution. What is new is that it is happening inside independent countries in the Arab world." The Syrian leader refused to address events in Tunisia and Egypt directly, but said the situation in his own country was stable. "Syria is stable although it has more difficult conditions than Egypt, which enjoys financial support from the United States while Syria is under embargo by most countries of the world," he said. Assad also said that he will advocate for political and economic reform in Syria. "Syria is stable. Why? Because you have to be very closely linked to the beliefs of the people. This is the core issue. When there is divergence…you will have this vacuum that creates disturbances," the article quoted Assad as saying.Assad: Mideast Diseased with Stagnation, Its Leaders Must Upgrade Themselves
