"This is Landis, Signing Out...For Now..."

There is a real mud-fight taking place in Syriacomment and in which I don't intend to participate. It seems that Joshua Landis is handing over the day-to-day administration of the site to a person called Ehsani and to Camille Otrakji. I've read Ehsani's articles before and he is a sobre and mature analyst of Syrian economic issues as far as I can tell, but unfortunately I cannot say the same for Otrakji. One reader there, Qunfuz, called him a member of the intellectual-Shabeeha, and the label is, sadly, quite true. I've lost a lot of respect for this man [Otrakji] since the start of the Syrian revolution, and I don't think he has any credibility as a moderator for Syria Comment, let alone the fact that the site itself, through Landis, is quite biased towards the Syrian regime's narrative. His position playing the 'Devil's advocate' for the Syrian regime is quite revolting, even for somebody like myself, and I can't say I have much sympathy for him when he is mauled viciously by his critics. Live by the sword and all that...

Hopefully we'll be seeing less of Landis' selective quoting from 'credible sources' and American housewives in Latakia who might have seen somebody that looked like a salafist hanging up laundry on the neighbour's roof. The battle for hearts and minds continues...

[End of Maysaloon Commentary]