International New York Times 20131017, International New York Times
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THEMANBOOKERPRIZE
REVIEWING‘LUMINARIES,’
THE800-PAGEWINNER
PAGE11
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CULTURE
CATALONIA’SCAVA
HOWITFIGURESINSPAIN’S
SECESSIONISTCONFLICT
PAGE14
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BUSINESS WITH
THOMASL.FRIEDMAN
SORRY, KIDS:THEBABY
BOOMERSATEITALL
PAGE7
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OPINION
....
THURSDAY,OCTOBER 17, 2013
Bankinquiry
castsacloud
overbailout
ofGreece
BreakthroughinU.S.debtcrisis
TheDemocratic-controlledSenate
andtheRepublican-controlledHouse
mustapprovetheplanforittogoahead,
andwereexpectedtovotelaterWed-
nesday.
TheWhiteHousepresssecretary,Jay
Carney,applaudedthecompromiseand
saidPresidentObamahopedtobeable
tosignthebillintimetoavertthefirst
negativeconsequencesofadebtde-
fault,whicheconomistshavesaidwould
bedevastating,ripplingquicklyaround
theworld.Mr.Carneysaidtheagree-
ment‘‘achieveswhat’snecessary’’and
would‘‘removethethreatofeconomic
brinkmanship.’’
UndertheSenateplan,thegovern-
mentwouldbefinancedattightlevels
throughJan.15,reflectingacross-the-
boardspendingcutsthatwentintoef-
fectinMarch.Thedebtceilingwouldbe
raisedintoFebruary,andnegotiators
wouldberequiredtocompleteworkon
adetailed10-yearbudgetplanbyDec.
13.That,however,wouldgiveweary
lawmakerslittlerestbeforeanew
roundoffiscalclashesmighteruptover
thesamedisputes.
SoamajorquestiononWednesday
waswhetherRepublicansfeelsosinged
overtheirfailedhigh-stakeseffortto
rollbackthepresident’shealthcarelaw
—andbyanunhappyelectoratethat
pollsshowblamesthemlopsidedlyfor
therecentcrisis—thattheywillwantto
avoidnewfiscalbattlesinthecoming
electionyear.
Alsounclearwashowtheunwinding
ofthecrisiswouldaffecttheleadership
maybehelpedbythefactthatnoclear
rivalforthejobhasemerged.
SenatorHarryReidofNevada,the
majorityleader,hailedtheaccordthat
hehelpednegotiateasa‘‘historic,bi-
partisanagreement,’’sayingthat‘‘our
countrycametothebrinkofadisaster
butintheendbothadversariessetaside
theirdifferences.’’
‘‘Thecompromisewereachedwould
provideoureconomywiththestability
itdesperatelyneeds,’’hesaidincom-
mentsfromtheSenatefloor.
Investors,feelingincreasinglyskit-
tishinrecentdaysasthestandoff
draggedon,welcomedthedeal.The
DowJonesindustrialaverage,which
hadbeenslowlysinkinginrecentdays,
jumped200pointsonthenews.Butthat
cameonlyafterthecreditratingagency
FitchhadplacedtheUnitedStateson
WASHINGTON
CompromiseSenatebill
wouldavertdisasteryet
offerRepublicanslittle
ATHENS
Prosecutorsinvestigate
allegedabuseofpostby
country’scentralbanker
BYJONATHANWEISMAN
ANDBRIANKNOWLTON
Onthevergeofapoliticalandeconomic
crisisthatcouldhavesevereglobalre-
percussions, theUnitedStatesCon-
gressmovedonWednesdaytoavertthe
country’sfirstdebtdefaultinmodern
times.
Senateleadersreachedagreementon
adealthatwouldraisetheborrowing
limitandreopenthefederalgovern-
mentintheshortterm,butthatoffered
Republicanslittleinreturn.
JEWELSAMAD/AFP
ThespeakeroftheHouse,JohnA.
Boehner,inWashingtononWednesday.
BYLANDONTHOMASJR.
InanerawhencentralbankerslikeBen
S.Bernankedominatetheglobaleco-
nomicstage,fewholdasmuchpower
withintheirowncountryasGeorgiosA.
Provopoulos,thegovernoroftheBank
ofGreece,whohasplayedacrucialrole
inkeepingGreeceoutofbankruptcy
andintheeurozone.
ButnowMr.Provopoulosfacesoneof
thebiggerchallengesofhistumultuous
reign:aninvestigationintowhetherhe
abusedhispositionbyclearingabank-
ingdealinvolvinghisformeremployer
andabusinessmagnatewhowassub-
sequentlychargedwithembezzlement
andfraud.
Inaconfidentialreportissuedlast
May,aseniorGreekprosecutorsaid
thatMr.Provopoulosapprovedthe¤71
million,or$96million,dealdespite
warningsfromhisstaffregardingthe
buyer’sfinances.Thereport,partsof
whichwerereviewedbyTheNewYork
Times,hintsatthescopeoftheinvesti-
gation,aboutwhichlittlehasbeenpre-
viouslydisclosed.
ThereisnoevidencethatMr.Provo-
poulosprofitedpersonallyfromthe
transaction,whichwasultimatelyap-
proved.Buthisrole—andthechance,
howeverremote,thathemightface
criminalcharges—couldhaveramifica-
oftheHousespeaker,Representative
JohnA.BoehnerofOhio,whore-
peatedlyseemedunabletocontrolhis
rank-and-filemembersontheright.He
ONLINE:
THELATEST COVERAGE
Forthemostup-to-datenewsand
analysisoftheeffortstoreopentheU.S.
government,goto
inyt.com
CONGRESS,PAGE5
Syrians,displacedandindespair
MAFRAQ, JORDAN
Aclanfleescivilwar
to Jordan,fearfulof
neverreturninghome
BYNORIMITSUONISHI
Wateringtheplantsonherbalconyback
homeinSyriathisspring,WedadSar-
hantookdelightinhowtheywerestir-
ringtolifeafterthewintermonths.A
jasminetreefilledthesmallbalcony
withitssweetscent.Anapricottree,
plantedeightspringsearlier,wasblos-
somingforthefirsttime.
Arocketexplodedonthebalcony
minuteslater.Ms.Sarhanwasstanding
inside.Twoofhergranddaughterswere
wounded.Theirfather,Hasan,quickly
carriedonegirltoanearbyclinic,un-
awarethattheotherlaymoregriev-
ouslywoundedunderapileofclothes.
Ms.Sarhanfoundher.‘‘Ipulledher
outbyhershirt,’’sherecalled.‘‘Itook
herinmyarms,andthenIstarted
screaming,‘There’snoleg!’’’
That evening, theSarhans fled
Dara’a,theirhometowninsouthwest-
ernSyria,andcrossedintoJordan,
threegenerationsofrefugees.Their
largeclan,alreadytornapartbythe
Syriancivilwar,wasnowscattered
acrossJordanandSyria.
Today,theSarhansinJordan,likeoth-
erSyrianrefugeescastintoanincreas-
inglyunwelcomingregion,makevague
plansaboutreturningtoahomeland
thathasallbutvanished.Butthewar,
ragingjusthalfanhour’sdriveaway,re-
lentlesslyforcestheSarhanstoremake
theirlivesinthisnewhome.
Theyareventuringuneasilyintotheir
newneighborhoods,anxiouslysending
theirchildrentonewschools,reluctantly
openinganewbusiness.Updatesfrom
familymembersinSyriaaregleaned
frombrief,shakycellphonecalls.
‘‘Ourfamilystoryisjustoneofmany,’’
saidNomanSarhan,Ms.Sarhan’seld-
estson.‘‘YoucanfindSyrianfamilies
whohavehadaneasiertimethanwe’ve
had,andotherswhosestoriesaremore
horrific.ButalmostallSyrianfamilies
havetheseincommon:arelativewho’s
PHOTOGRAPHSBYLYNSEYADDARIOFORTHENEWYORKTIMES
Lama,thewifeofHasanSarhan,workedinthekitchenwhiletheiryoungestson,Hus-
sein,9months,andtheiroldestdaughter,6-year-oldAya,playedattheirapartment.
HasanSarhanwithhisdaughterDouaa,20months,inAmman.Sheisintreatmentthere
afterlosingaleginarocketattackinDara’a,thefamily’shometowninsouthwesternSyria.
EIRINIVOURLOUMISFORTHENYT
GeorgiosA.Provopoulos,chiefoftheBank
ofGreece,hasdeniedshowingfavoritism.
tionsbeyondGreece.Othercountriesin
theeurozonehaveinvestedmorethan
¤40billiontoshoreuptheGreekbank-
ingsystem.Intheprocess,theyhave
pressedAthenstocleanupthecorrup-
tionandcronycapitalismthathasbeen
attherootofthecountry’sproblems.
Accordingtothereport,Mr.Provo-
poulos allowed the businessman,
LavrentisLavrentiadis,toenterintoa
dealwithMr.Provopoulos’sformerem-
ployer,PiraeusBank,atavastlyinflated
price.ThetransactionenabledMr.
Lavrentiadistogaincontrolofanother
bank,Proton,and,intheprocess,benefit-
edPiraeus,whichwasthenstruggling.
Thedossiercitesanumberofred
flagsthatbankingsupervisorsraised
aboutMr.Lavrentiadis,includingex-
cessivedebtandsuspicionsofmoney
laundering.LastDecember,hewas
chargedwithembezzlingfromProtonto
FedaandNomanSarhanandtheir7-year-olddaughterinMafraq,Jordan.Thefirstofthe
SarhanstocrossintoJordan,thecouplearrivedwiththeirfourchildren13monthsago.
FedaSarhanstylingabride,anotherSyrianrefugee.Ms.Sarhansaidshewascontent
withbuildingaSyrianclienteleatahairsalonthatsheandherhusbandrecentlyopened.
GREECE, PAGE15
REFUGEES,PAGE4
INSIDETODAY’SPAPER
ONLINEAT INYT.COM
SignsofprogressinIraniantalks
Iranandagroupofsixworldpowers
saidtheyhadengagedin‘‘substantive’’
and‘‘forwardlooking’’discussionson
theIraniannuclearprogramandthat
theywouldreconveneinearly
November.
WORLDNEWS,3
What’satstakeintheIrantalks?
NegotiationswithIranaremaking
progressforthefirsttimeinyears.Read
aprimerontheissuesandthehistory
behindthetalks.
nytimes.com/world
Anabsentartworkspeaksvolumes
AretrospectiveinBeijingforthe
ChinesesculptorWangKepingdoesnot
include‘‘Silence,’’hissignaturework,
reflectingthecurrentchillon
expressioninChina.
CarsalesinEuropeofferhope
Salesrose5.4percentinSeptember,the
bestshowinginovertwoyears,which
fannedhopesthatthemarkethad
finallyhitbottom.
BUSINESS,14
nytimes.com/asia
Mexicoconsidersasoft-drinktax
LikeNewYorkCitybeforeit,Mexicois
debatingataxonsodaandother
sugarybeveragestofightsoaring
obesityrates.
Theartofcollecting
FriezeMusic,FriezeFilmandFrieze
Projectsarelesshypedandlittle-
mentionedpartsofFriezewherenothing
isforsale.
SPECIALREPORT,INSIDE
MARKUSSCHREIBER/AP
OPTIONSNARROW
ChancellorAngelaMerkelatthefinalcabinetmeetingofhercoalitionin
BerlinonWednesday. TalksonacoalitionwiththeGreenscollapsed.
nytimes.com/americas
WORLDNEWS,8
Atributeendsintragedy
JoeBellwaswalkingacrosstheUnited
Statestomemorializehisgayson,who
committedsuicideafterbeingbullied,
whenhewaskilledbyatractor-trailer
inColorado.
Usingillnesstoplaypolitics
Mostcountriesabandonleaderswith
physicaloremotionalweakness.In
Argentina,it’stheotherwayaround,
MartínCaparróswrites.
OPINION,6
INTRODUCINGINYT.COM
EnjoycomplimentarydigitalaccesstoTheInternationalNewYorkTimesthis
week.Experienceitnowatinyt.com
COURTESYOF .
nytimes.com/us
FORSUBSCRIPTIONINFORMATION,CALL:
00800 44 48 78 27
or e-mail us at inytsubs@nytimes.com
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INTHISISSUE
No. 40,621
Business 14
Crossword 13
Culture 9
Sports 12
Opinion 6
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2
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THURSDAY,OCTOBER17, 2013
INTERNATIONAL NEW YORK TIMES
PAGETWO
IN YOUR WORDS
RecallingaprotestinBrazil
Analyzing
theChinese
spittinghabit
Ugandafightscancerstigma
It’snicethatthe doctors appreciate the
differences between countries. Basic
amenitiesratherthanadvanced
technologiesare the call of the hourallover
thethirdworld.Thesamestory appliesto
ruralIndiaandthough the conditionsare
improvingthestigma persists. We continue
toseemassive fungatinglesions at our
placeanditsreally sad.
DEEPAK MULAJKER,
HYDERABAD, INDIA
This is a very important story, and I don’t
mean to diminish it in any way. But I also
want to note that it’s not uncommon for
U.S. patients with sarcoma to have to
travel 200 miles to see a specialist,
sometimes after their original treatment
was botched. If you have a rare cancer in
the U.S., it’s likely that no physician in your
city has much, if any, experience with it.
SUZIE SIEGEL,
TAMPA, FLORIDA
Didi Kirsten
Tatlow
LETTERFROMCHINA
LivinginBeijingalongtime,
youlearntoanticipateaspitter.The
cracklingcrescendomaybeginashe
nears,leavingyouwondering—isita
territorialthing?Thenthefinale:ater-
rific‘‘ptchoo!’’andanopalescentglob
whirlinglikeatinyFrisbeeintothegut-
terorontothepavementnearyour
feet.Oryoureye,ashappenedtomy
companionstandingdownwindfroma
spitteratanopentrainwindow,inthe
westernregionofXinjiang.
Wait!Ihearyousay.Whyisshe
writingaboutpublicspitting?Isn’tit
disrespectful,evenanti-Chinese,to
bringupthispersonalhabit,whichwas
oncealsocommonintheWest?Ireland
hadits‘‘spitandsawdustpubs.’’In
NorthAmericatherearesporadicre-
portsofpeoplefinedforit.
‘‘It’scertainlyanissue,’’Ross
Coomber,asociologyprofessoratPly-
mouthUniversityinEngland,whohas
studiedspittinginsixAsiancountries,
saidbytelephone.‘‘It’saninternation-
alrelationsissue,
andIthinkit’sone
that’sworththinking
about,asopposedto
merelyreactingto.’’
That’sbecause
spittingisamajor
reasonChinesetour-
istscanfeelunwel-
comeabroad,com-
mentatorssay.Andmorearetraveling:
Chinesewillmakeabout100million
tripsnextyear,upfrom82millionlast
yearandover90millionthisyear,Shao
Qiwei,theheadofChina’sNational
TourismAdministration,saidlastweek.
‘‘Inrecentyearstheworldhasmore
andmoreopportunitiestoknowChina,’’
SunYingchun,aprofessorattheCom-
municationUniversityofChina,wrote
inHuanqiumagazine.‘‘Butdiscrimina-
tionandprejudiceagainstChinese
peopleabroadhasn’tdiminished,’’he
wrote.‘‘EventhoughChinesepeople
bringtouristbusinesswiththemthey
arealsocastigatedbyforeigners.Some
foreignersdon’tfeelkindlytoward
Chinesetouristsbecausetheysaythey
areill-mannered.’’Hesingledoutspit-
ting,loudness,line-cuttingandlittering.
Nooneagonizesaboutitmorethan
someChinese.SunYat-sen,therevolu-
tionaryleaderandfirstpresidentofthe
Chineserepublic,saidina1924speech
that‘‘spitting,farting,growingalong
fingernail’’topickone’snose,‘‘not
brushingteeth’’—inthesethings‘‘all
Chinesepeopleareunrestrained.’’
‘‘Soeventhoughwehavegreat
knowledgeinself-cultivation,man-
agingourfamilies,rulingourcountry
andestablishingpeaceunderheaven,’’
Sunsaid,‘‘whenforeignersseethese,
theythinkusverybarbaric.’’
IntheWest,‘‘disgusting’’istheword
mostusedtodescribespitting,saidMr.
Coomber.Forgenerations,publichealth
campaignstaughtWesternersthatspit-
tingspreaddiseasesliketuberculosis.
Thatbredrepugnance.
Yetafterstudyingthepublichealth
literature,Mr.Coomberbelievesthe
medicalrisksareoverstated.
‘‘I’mcomingatitfromaverypartic-
ularangle,andthatisthatmanyofthe
publichealthmessagesthatareat-
tachedtospitting,particularlythe
spreadofdiseases,theevidencefor
thatisvirtuallynonexistent,’’hesaid.
‘‘Thenitbecomesaboutmanners,and
thatisn’tobjective.They’reaboutfash-
ionandpoliticsandtheabilityofelites
toimposeonanotherpartofthepopu-
lation.’’
Herearesomeofhison-the-ground
observations:‘‘InIndia,alotofitwas
thedribbling-outkindofspitting,’’often
fromchewingbetelquid,‘‘whereasin
Chinait’salotmorevisibleandaudible.
InIndia,therewaslessbringingup
fromthebackofthethroat.’’
‘‘MostlyinSouthKoreaitwasmen
smoking,’’hesaid.‘‘Theysmokevery
urgently.InSeoul,Isawasmokerfin-
ishacigarettein90seconds,andalso
spitsixtimesintoanashtray.’’
Ideally,peoplewouldpractice‘‘so-
ciallyresponsiblespitting,’’Mr.
Coombersaid.Thatmeansintoagut-
terandnotsomeone’spath,oreye.
‘‘ForIndiaandChina,Ifeelthatalot
ofelitesarelookingelsewheretogeta
gaugeonwhatcivilizationis,’’hesaid,
creatingpressuretochangehabits.
‘‘Mypersonalopinionisthatspittingis
soembeddedintheseculturesthatI
don’tseewhytheyhavetomodifytheir
behavior.Astrong,confidentcountry
shouldbeabletosay,‘No,theseare
thingsthatwedoandyouneedtoun-
derstandthat.’’’
SunYat-senmightnothaveagreed.
BEIJING
China’sdiningacrobatics
Haven’t eaten at any of these places but
it’s hard not to admire the invention and
energy ...Thirty years ago in Beijing, you
were lucky to get a smidgeon of duck meat
to go with the greasy skin for what passed
for Peking Duck. The one good thing that
wealth has meant to China is a chance to
resurrect its culinary traditions.
STURMAN,
SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA
Pity that the author couldn’t seek out
restaurants that focus on sustainability,
attempts at carbon neutrality, and organic
ingredients. Something that the average
Chinese person doesn’t get enough
exposure to.
JEFF,
GENEVA
Eating at these restaurants in China —and
Hong Kong —is the best way to end up
dining in the same room with all the other
faces you recognize from business class
when you flew in.
FOURTHPLINTH,
U.K.
Spittingisa
majorreason
Chinesetour-
istscanfeel
unwelcome
abroad.
FOTOPROTESTOSP
graphers,whocall
themselvesFoto
ProtestoSP,moun-
ted21imagesofthe
unrestonthedusty
walloftheAraçá
cemetery.Theshow
startedonSept.7—
IndependenceDay
inBrazil—andlas-
tedthreedays.The
grouphasnowset
upafurtherdisplay
oftheirworkata
subwaystation.‘‘It
wasaprocessofoc-
cupyingthecitywith
photography,’’said
MauricioLima,one
oftheorganizers.
MEMORIALWALL
Amidprotestsover
inequalityandgraft
inBrazilthissum-
mer,agroupofpho-
tographersinSão
Paulowantedtoen-
suretheralliesdid
notfadefrommem-
ory.Thephoto-
Seewhatreadersaretalkingaboutand
leaveyourowncommentsat
inyt.com
IN OUR PAGES
1913CallforArmstoCrossBorder
WASHINGTON
PresidentWilsonisbeing
dailyurgedbySenatorsandRepresenta-
tivestolifttheembargowhichprevents
theConstitutionalistsinMexicofromob-
tainingarmsfromacrosstheborder.The
advocatesofthispolicycontendthatthe
onlychanceofavertingAmericanarmed
interventionliesinpermittingtherebels
toequipthemselvesfortheaccomplish-
mentoftheoverthrowofGeneral
Huerta,whichtheConstitutionalistlead-
ersassertwillbeacomparativelyeasy
taskiftheyarerelievedofthehandicap
againstsecuringmunitionsofwarerec-
tedagainstthembythePresident’s
strictneutralityorders.
KEINYANDRADE
1938DresdenGivesStraussOvation
DRESDEN
TheworldpremièreofRich-
ardStrauss’sone-actopera‘‘Daphne’’in
theStateOperaherelastnight[Oct.15]
turnedouttobeabrilliantsuccessfor
thecomposerandhisperformers.The
seventy-four-year-oldmaster,whoat-
tendedtheperformance,receivedthe
applauseofaninternationalaudienceof
musicexpertsandstudentsthatproved
tobemoreenthusiasticeventhanatthe
firstperformanceofStrauss’sotherone-
actopera,‘‘DerFriedenstag,’’atMunich
thissummer.Thecomposerhadtoap-
peartwentytimesafterthecurtainfell.
RAFAELVILELA
UNREST,DISTILLED
Imagesofprotests
inSãoPaulohave
includedmarchers
linkingarms,above,
andamaskedactiv-
ist,centerright.An-
othershoweddem-
onstratorsattacking
abank.Aslideshow
iscomingtodayat
lens.blogs.
nytimes.com
DANIELKFOURI
Findaretrospectiveofnewsfrom1887to
2013inTheInternationalHeraldTribune
at
iht-retrospective.blogs.nytimes.com
MarkB.Read,Australiancriminalturnedauthorandcomic
‘‘Iknowmostofyououttheremay
hatemyguts—I’mnotaverypopular
person,’’hesaidinoneadvisoryagainst
drunkendriving.‘‘Butyoudrinkand
youdrive,andyou’reamurderingmag-
got,justthesameasIam.’’
NotallAustralianswerethrilledwith
hiscelebritystatus.Someofficials
soughttoamendthecriminalcodeso
thatthestatecouldconfiscatethepro-
ceedsfromthesaleofhisbooksandhis
performances.
Mr.Read’srecordincludedholdups,
stabbings,shootingsandakidnapping
attempt,inwhichhejammedasawed-
offshotgunintoajudge’smouthandde-
mandedthereleaseofafriendinprison.
Hewasincarceratedfor23ofhisfirst40
yearsandreleasedforthelasttimein
1998.
Thentherewerethecrimeshe
claimedhecommittedbutgotaway
with.
Inhisfirstbook,‘‘Chopper:Fromthe
Inside,’’a1991memoirwrittenwithtwo
journalists,Mr.Readdescribedhimself
as‘‘ahumandisposalexpert’’who
killed19fellowcriminalsandtortured
uncountedotherswithhissignature
tool,boltcutters,applyingittoavictim’s
toesoneatatimeuntilhisdemands
weremet.
Heclaimednevertohavehurtnon-
criminals,or‘‘civilians,’’ashecalled
them.Hesaidallhisvictimswereworse
humanbeingsthanhe.‘‘Onedrugdeal-
erIkilled,’’hewrote,‘‘hadbraggedof
overdosingabout50prostitutesand
junkiesina10-yearperiod.’’
Mr.Readlaterrevisedhismurdertoll
downward.HetoldTheNewYork
TimesinApril,afterannouncingthat
hislivercancerwasterminal,thathis
victimsnumbered‘‘probablyaboutfour
orseven,dependingonhowyoulookat
it.’’Andwhenpublicofficialsproposed
barringconvictedkillersfromprofiting
frombooks,hewasquicktopointout
thathehadneveractuallybeencon-
victedofmurderinganybody.Hewas
triedonlyonceformurder,andacquit-
tedonthegroundofself-defense.
Thatwasit,hesaid.Unlessitwasn’t.
‘‘Isittruethatyouputamanintoa
concretemixeralive?’’LindaParri,a
gossipwriterforPerthNow,onceasked
Mr.Read,assherecalledtheexchange
inTheAustralian.
‘‘Yeah,hewasalivewhenweputhim
in,’’hereplied,shesaid.‘‘It’svery,very
difficulttosticksomeoneinaconcrete
mixer.It’snotaseasyasitsounds.You
hesaid,hewasawardofthestate.
Hischildren’sbook, ‘‘Hookythe
Cripple:TheGrimTaleofaHunchback
WhoTriumphs’’(2002),tellsofaboy
whoisabusedbythevillagebutcherand
who,onhis21stbirthday,lashesback.Il-
lustratedwithGothicintensitybythe
AustralianartistAdamCullen—Hooky
brandishesabloodiedknifeonthecover
—thebookwasdescribedbyaMel-
bournerevieweras‘‘curiouslypoetic.’’
AswithmanyaspectsofMr.Read’s
life,hisownaccountsdifferonthe
sourceofthenicknameChopper.At
varioustimeshesaidthatitwasthe
nameofacartooncharacterheliked,
thathehadearneditasagangenforcer,
andthatheacquireditinprisonafter
havinghisearschoppedoffbyafellow
inmatetogainatransfertoahospital
ward.Whatever,Mr.Readhadnoears.
Heissurvivedbyhiswife,Margaret
Cassar;theirson,Roy;andasonfroma
previousmarriage,CharlieRead.
AbelieverinGod,Mr.Readwas
askedinaninterviewwhatheexpected
wouldhappenwhenhefinallymethis
maker.
‘‘Ithink,ifanything,I’mowedan
apology,’’hesaid.‘‘Idon’tthinkhewas
veryfairwithme.’’
BYPAULVITELLO
MarkBrandonRead,anotoriousAus-
traliancriminal andself-described
‘‘murderingmaggot’’whospuntales
fromhisviolenthistoryintoasuccessful
comedyroutineand10top-sellingbooks,
includingoneillustratedforchildren,
OBITUARY
diedonOct.9inMelbourne.Hewas58.
Thecausewaslivercancer,hisman-
ager,AndrewParisi,saidinastatement.
Mr.Read,afolkheroknownasChop-
pertohiscountrymen,claimedthatall
hisbookswerebasedonhislife,which
hebeganasanunwantedchildandpro-
ceededthroughphasesasajuvenile
thug,mobenforcer,kidnapperandcon-
tractkiller.
Hispersonalappearances—billedas
stand-upcomedy,thoughtheywere
morelikethemonologuesofadroll,un-
chastenedexecutioner—filledlarge
halls.‘‘Chopper,’’a2000Australianfea-
turefilmbasedonhislife,withEric
Banainthetitlerole,wasdistributed
worldwide.
Healsobecameapublic-servicean-
nouncerinAustralia.
DEANLEWINS/AAP,VIAAP
MarkRead,58,wasafolkheroknownas
Chopper.He hadlivercancer.
havetofeedhimthroughheadfirst.’’
‘‘Andwhatdidthatchapdowrong?’’
Ms.Parriasked.
‘‘I forget at themoment,’’ he
answered.‘‘I’msureitwassomething
quitebad.’’
MarkBrandonReadwasborninMel-
bourneonNov.17,1954.Hisfatherwasa
warveteranwhosleptwitharifleand
oftenbeathim,hesaid,andhismother,
aSeventh-dayAdventist,toldhimthat
hisbirthwas‘‘notagiftfromGod.’’His
parentsseparatedoften,andbyage14,
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THURSDAY,OCTOBER17, 2013
|
3
INTERNATIONAL NEW YORK TIMES
Wor
ldNews
MIDDLEEAST ASIA
Briefly
Asia
Irannucleartalksshowsignsofpromise
ofanewphaseinourrelationship.’’He
saidthathehopedtheWestwouldtake
a‘‘balanced’’approach,anapparental-
lusiontoIraniandemandsforaneasing
ofthetougheconomicsanctionsthat
havehurtIran.
ButneitherWesternnorIranianoffi-
cialsprovidedanyconcreteexamplesof
measuresthatmighthavebeenagreed
upon.NordidIransayithadtakenany
stepstopauseitsprogramtoenrich
uraniumorexpanditsnuclearinfra-
structure.
Mr.ZarifstatedthatIranplannedto
continuewithitsnuclearenrichment
programwhiletryingtoassuageWest-
ernconcerns.Buthedeclinedtosay
whetherandwhenIranmightaccept
extensivemonitoringinaccordance
withaprotocolthatallowsinspections
tobecarriedoutwhenprohibitedactiv-
ityissuspected.
Earlier,beforethediscussionsoffi-
ciallyadjourned,Mr.Zarifsignaledthat
bothsideswouldmeetagainsoon.
‘‘Thetalkswillcontinueinafew
weeksinGeneva,andduringthisperiod
themembersoftheP5+1willhavea
chancetoacquirethenecessaryreadi-
nessregardingthedetailsofIran’s
plansandthestepsthattheymust
take,’’theforeignministerwroteonhis
Facebookpage.
Mr.Zarifwasreferringtothefiveper-
manentmembersoftheUnitedNations
SecurityCouncil—Britain,China,
France,RussiaandtheUnitedStates—
plusGermany,thesixbigpowersthat
haveengagedinon-again,off-again
talkswithIranforyears.
Therewasnoindicationofanybreak-
through,andtheUnitedStateshasre-
peatedlysaidthatitisimportantfor
Irantotakestepstopauseorevenre-
verseitsnuclearprogramwhilenegoti-
ationscontinue.
DuringtheirvisittotheUnitedNa-
tionslastmonth,bothMr.Rouhaniand
Mr.ZarifrepeatedlyemphasizedIran’s
eagernesstomoveforwardonthenu-
clear issue.Theyhavealsosaid,
however,thatthecountrymustbeal-
lowedtoenrichitsownnuclearfuel,a
rightitclaimsasasignatorytotheNon-
ProliferationTreaty.
AfterthediscussionsTuesday,Iran’s
deputyforeignminister,AbbasAraqchi,
andhisteammetforaboutanhourat
theU.N.headquartersherewiththe
Americandelegation, ledbyWendy
Sherman,aseniorStateDepartmentof-
ficial.Thesubstancewasnotdisclosed,
butthemeetingitselfwasunusual.
GENEVA
BYMICHAELR.GORDON
Iranandagroupofsixworldpowers
saidonWednesdaythattheyhaden-
gagedin‘‘substantive’’and‘‘forward
looking’’discussionsonthedisputed
Iraniannuclearprogramandthatthey
wouldreconveneinearlyNovember.
Theaccountofthetwodaysoftalksin
Genevacameinararejointstatement
fromIran’sforeignminister,Mohammad
JavadZarif,andCatherineAshton,the
foreignpolicychieffortheEuropeanUn-
ion,whoistheleadnegotiatorwithIran.
Representativesfromthetwosidesare
tomeetagaininGenevafortalksonNo-
vember7and8.Nuclearandsanctions
expertsfromthetwosidesaretomeet
beforethentodiscusstechnicalissues.
Themeetingwasthefirstbetween
Iranandthesixpowerssincethecoun-
try’spresident,HassanRouhani,took
officeinAugustandvowedtoresolve
longstandingconcernsaboutitsnuclear
program,whichIranclaimsispeaceful
butmanynationssuspectisaguisefor
developing the ability tomake
weapons.
Inanewsconference,Mr.Zarifsaid
thatthemeetingshavebeen‘‘fruitful’’
andwould‘‘hopefullybethebeginning
BANGKOK
Civilianplanecrashes
inLaos,killingall49onboard
ALaoAirlinesflightcrashedintothe
MekongRiveronWednesday,killing
all49peopleonboard,theLaotiangov-
ernmentsaid.
Thestatementdidnotspecifythena-
tionalitiesofthepassengersonboard.
FlightQV301washeadingfromthe
Laotiancapital,Vientiane,tothesouth-
erncityofPaksewith44passengers
andfivecrewmembers,thestatement
said.
Thegovernmentsaidtheplanehad
hit‘‘extremebadweatherconditions’’
asittriedtolandinPakse,atouristdes-
tination.
MANILA
144killedinPhilippinesquake
Thedeathtollfromapowerfulearth-
quakethatshookthePhilippinesrose
to144onWednesday,officialssaid.
EduardodelRosario,thecountry’s
civildefensedirector,saidthelatest
countshowed291peopleinjuredbythe
quakethatstruckonTuesday.
RUBENSPRICH/REUTERS
MohammadJavadZarif,Iran’sforeignminister,inGenevaonWednesday, saidhehoped
theWestwouldtakea‘‘balanced’’approach,anapparentallusiontoeconomicsanctions.
RickGladstonecontributedreporting
fromNewYork.
’58-62Chinafamine
isbeingplayeddown
GreatLeapForward,thentheCommu-
nistParty,therulingparty,willneverbe
abletoclearitself,’’Mr.Yangsaidby
telephone.
Scholarswhohavestudiedthefamine
expressalarmthatbittertruthsabout
thepastareunderassaultinthenameof
politicalorthodoxy.‘‘I’velongbeenma-
lignedandattackedformyresearch,
butnowtherearethesepeoplewhoba-
sicallydenythattherewaseveramass
famine,’’YangJisheng,72,ahistorian
andformerXinhuanewsagencyjourna-
listinBeijingwhohasbeenthemain
targetoftheattacks,saidbytelephone.
HeisnotrelatedtoYangSonglin.
‘‘Tombstone,’’YangJisheng’sland-
markstudyoftheGreatLeapfamine—
publishedinChineseinHongKongin
2008andinamodified,abridgedEng-
lish-languageeditionin2012—isbanned
inmainlandChinabuthasbeenread
widelytherethroughsmuggledand
bootleggedcopies.Mr.Yangestimates
that36millionpeoplediedbecauseof
brutalityandfoodshortagescausedby
theGreatLeapForward.
‘‘Todefendtherulingstatusofthe
CommunistParty,theymustdenythat
tensofmillionsdiedofstarvation,’’Mr.
Yangsaid.‘‘There’sasenseofsocial
crisisinthepartyleadership,andpro-
tectingitsstatushasbecomemoreur-
gent,andsoit’sbecomeevenmorenec-
essarytoavoidconfrontingthetruth
aboutthepast.’’
Sincetheearly1980s,restrictionson
studyingthatperiodhaveeased.Histo-
rianshavegainedlimitedaccessto
archives,andsetsofcensusandother
populationdatahavebecomeavailable,
allowingresearcherstobuildamorede-
tailed,albeitstillincomplete,under-
standingofthefamine.
Amongrespectedscholars,estimates
ofthedeathtollhaverangedfrom17mil-
liontoashighas45million,reflecting
variedassumptionsaboutthedeath
rateinnormaltimesaswellasotherun-
certainties,includinghowmuchofficial
statisticsundercounteddeathsduring
thefamineyears.
‘‘Scholarsdisagree,butwhethertheir
estimateissomewhathigherorlower,
thatdoesn’taffectthefactthattheGreat
LeapForwardcreatedamassivedis-
aster,’’LinYunhui,aretiredpartyhistori-
anattheNationalDefenseUniversityin
Beijingwhohasspentmuchofhiscareer
studyingMao’stime,saidbytelephone.
China’sleadershavenotpublicly
commentedonthecontroversy.But
Mao’sreputationremainsimportantfor
apartythatcontinuestostakeitsclaims
topoweronitsrevolutionaryorigins,
evenasithascastasidetheremnantsof
hisrevolutionarypolicies.Andparadox-
ically,XiJinping,thepartyleaderin-
stalledinNovember,hasbeenespe-
ciallyavidindefendingthatlegacy,even
thoughhisfamilysufferedmoreunder
Maothanhisrecentpredecessorsdid.
Mr.XiisthesonofXiZhongxun,acol-
leagueofMaowhowaspurgedin1962
andendured16yearsofimprisonment
andpoliticalignominy.Mr.Xi’shandling
ofthepast,however,isdrivenbypolitic-
alimperatives,notfamilymemories,
saidEdwardFriedman,anemeritus
professorofpoliticalscienceattheUni-
versityofWisconsin-Madisonwhoco-
editedtheEnglishversionofMr.Yang’s
book‘‘Tombstone.’’
Mr.XitoldofficialsinJanuarythat
theyshouldnotbelittleordoubtMao’s
achievements.Hehasrepeatedlycited
thecollapseoftheSovietUnionasa
warningofthecostsofpoliticallaxity.
HeapprovedadirectiveissuedinApril
thatidentifiedsevenmainideological
threatstopartyrule,including‘‘histor-
icalnihilism’’—definedasattemptsto
‘‘negatethelegitimacyofthelong-term
ruleoftheChineseCommunistParty’’
bymaligningtheparty’srecord.
HONG KONG
Disputeoverseverity
ofGreatLeapreflects
campaigntoprotectparty
BYCHRISBUCKLEY
TheChineseCommunistParty’sdrive
tostifleideologicalthreatstoitsruleis
givingaplatformtoagroupofloyalist
researcherswho,tothedismayofmany
historians,denythatoneofthegrim-
mestepisodesoftheMaoisteraclaimed
tensofmillionsoflives.
Scholarswidelyjudgethefaminethat
grippedtheChinesecountrysidefrom
1958into1962tobethedeadliestinrecor-
dedhistory.Mostresearchers,Chinese
andforeign,estimatethat20millionto
30millionpeople,orevenmore,died
fromhungerandresultingillnesses
aftertheimplosionoftheGreatLeap
Forward,theparty’sattempttofast-for-
wardChinaintoCommunistabundance.
Itwasoneofthedefiningcalamitiesof
MaoZedong’srule,andthepartyhas
shroudedthatdisasterincensorship
andeuphemisms,seekingtomaintain
anauraofreverencearoundthefound-
ingleaderoftheCommuniststate.
Butaheadofcelebrationsforthe120th
anniversaryofMao’sbirth,onDec.26,
someofhissupportersandpartypolemi-
cistsaresteppingbeyondthelongstand-
ingofficialreticenceaboutthefamineto
arguefortheirown,muchmilderversion
SIMCHIYINFORTHENYT
YangJisheng’slandmarkstudyofthe
GreatLeapisbannedinmainlandChina.
ofthedisasterandtoassailhistorians
whodisagree.Theydenythattensofmil-
lionsdiedinthefamine—itwasatmosta
fewmillion,someofthemsay—andthey
accusescholarswhosupporthigheresti-
matesoffanningantipartysentiment.
ContentionoverChina’spoliticalfu-
turehasspilledintorivalviewsofthe
past,withemboldenedpoliticaltradi-
tionalistsclaimingtodefendtheparty
bydefendingMao.‘‘Thebigrumorthat
30millionpeoplestarvedtodeathinthe
threeyearsofhardship,’’saidaheadline
inGlobalTimes,aninfluentialparty-run
tabloid,inSeptember.Itaccompanieda
commentarybyamathematician,Sun
Jingxian,whohaswonpublicityforhis
claimthatatmost2.5millionpeople
diedof‘‘nutritionalfatalities’’during
theGreatLeapForward.Hearguesthat
biggerestimatesareanillusionbased
onflawedstatistics.
Anewbook,‘‘SomeoneMustFinally
SpeaktheTruth,’’whichhasbecomea
touchstoneforsupportersofMaowho
denytheseverityofthefamine,main-
tainsthatatmostfourmillion‘‘abnor-
malfatalities’’occurredduringthefam-
ine.Thatwasindeedatragedy,saysthe
book’sauthor,YangSonglin,aretired
official.Butheattributesthatmostlyto
badweather,notbadpolicies,andhe
andotherlike-mindedresearchersac-
cuserivalresearchersofinflatingthe
magnitudeofthefaminetodiscredit
Maoandtheparty.
‘‘Somepeoplethinktheyhaveanop-
portunity,thataslongastheycanprove
thattensofmillionsofpeoplediedinthe
....
4
|
THURSDAY,OCTOBER17, 2013
INTERNATIONAL NEW YORK TIMES
WORLDNEWS
MIDDLEEAST
Syrians,displacedandindespair
paymenttobuyhisowncar.Toeconom-
ize,thoughhewasmarriedwithchil-
dren,heandhisfamilysharedthe
fourth-floorapartmentwithhispar-
ents.
Now,Mr.Sarhanandhiswife,Lama,
staywiththeirchildreninanapartment
ontheflankofarockyhillinAmman.He
takeshisoldestgirltoschoolonacity
bus,butherarelygoesoutsideforany-
thingelse.Hedoesnotsocializewiththe
otherSyrianrefugeesintheirneighbor-
hood.
‘‘ThereisaSyrianmannearherewho
lostaleg,’’Mr.Sarhansaid,lightinga
cigarette.‘‘Whatwouldwetalkabout?
‘Mydaughterlostaleg,youlostaleg.’’’
AtthemakeshiftclinicinDara’a
wherehisdaughterswerefirsttreated,
antigovernmentactivistsfilmeda63-
secondvideoofthewoundedgirls.The
oldersister,Shahed,whowas4when
shelostachunkofherrightleginthe
rocketattack,isawareandcrying.Dou-
aa,herwhitediapersspottedwith
blood, theremainsofherleft leg
danglingbelowtheknee,isfullycon-
sciousbuteerilypassive.
Hiswifecriedforthreedays.Anin-
tractablegriefstilloverwhelmstheSar-
hans,onetingedwithalastingregret.
Themissingleg,theybelieve,could
havebeenreattachedwithin48hours.
Asitturnedout,Mr.Sarhan’sfather
foundthelegunderawatertankintheir
Dara’aapartment49hoursafterthe
rocketattack.Hisfathercalledfrom
Syria,cryingoverthephone.‘‘Thelegis
dead,’’hesaid.
Whilesafe,HasanandLamaSarhan
arestilllostinthepeaceofJordan’scap-
ital.Hespeaksoftenofwantingtogo
backtoSyriaafterDouaalearnstowalk
withaprostheticleg,ofreturningto
Dara’a,wherewaterisplentifuland
free,fruitisabundantandlifeiseasy.
Hisfacecomestolife,hiseyeswiden-
ing,hismouthforminganunfamiliar
smile.Heledagoodlifeoverthereon
theequivalentof$107amonth.Here,
youbarelysurviveon$570.
HehasbeeninJordanforonlyafew
months,soSyria’spullremainsstrong,
andperhapsitsabilitytoplaytrickson
hismemory,conjuringupalifethatvan-
ished31monthsand100,000deathsago.
Perhapsheischoosingtoforgetwhathe
saidjusttheotherday.
InDara’a,hewasdetainedforfive
dayslastyear,pickedupbecausehis
namematchedthatofarebelwantedby
thegovernment.Hewashandcuffedtoa
wallfornearlytwodays,thenputina
smallcellwith90othermen.Hewas
eventuallyreleased,buthecouldno
longerdriveataxibecausethenamehe
sharedwiththewantedfighterre-
mainedonthelistofeverygovernment
checkpoint.Hestoppedleavingthe
house.
‘‘Wecangobacktoasaferplacein
Dara’a,’’hetellsLama.‘‘Wecanleada
betterlifeoverthere.’’
REFUGEES,FROMPAGE1
beenkilledorwounded,whoisdetained
orwanted.Everyfamilyhassuffered.’’
TheSarhansareamongthemore
thantwomillionpeoplewhomSyria’s
civilwarhasspreadsofarthroughout
theMiddleEastandevenintoEurope.
Asthe31-monthwarhasfestered,grow-
ingevermoreviolentanddeepening
alongsectarianlines,thenumberof
refugeeshasswelled.
AninteractivefeatureontheWebsite
oftheOfficeoftheU.N.HighCommis-
sionerforRefugeespresentstheprecise
numberofregisteredrefugeesonapar-
ticulardate:475,494onJan.1,2013;
1,078,881onApril13,whentheSarhans
cametoJordan.Itisadry,digitalchron-
icleofahumanitariancrisisthatthe
worldbodyhascharacterizedasthe
worstsincetheRwandangenocidetwo
decadesago.
Withanestimated4.25millionSyri-
ansdisplacedwithintheirowncountry,
theconflicthasuprootedmorethana
quarterofSyria’spopulation.Morethan
100,000havebeenkilled.
About65kilometers,or40miles,
southofMafraq,inthecapital,Amman,
Ms.Sarhanhasbeenstayingwithoneof
herwoundedgranddaughtersatareha-
bilitationcenter.Evertheoptimist,she
appearscheerfulatfirst.Yetaterrible
griefcomesoverherwhensherecounts
herfamily’slosses.
Twoofherchildrenand9grandchil-
drenaresafeinJordan.But6children
and21grandchildrenremaintrappedin
Syria.Adaughterhasmovedtoan
abandonedhousewithherfamily;an-
otherhassoughtshelterinahouseun-
derconstruction.Heryoungestsonwas
recentlywoundedinthelegbyasniper.
Anotherisontherun,wantedbygov-
ernmentforcesforhisactivism.Two
othersareindetention,includingonein
amilitaryprisoninDamascus.That
son,shesays,hasnotbeenheardfrom
ineightmonths.
Asforherhusband,Hussain,62,heis
maroonedinthefamilyhome,holedup
inarebel-heldareathatisthefocusof
regularshellingandrocketattacks.
Fearinglooters,herefusestoleave.
Whenthefightingeases,hesometimes
walksupanearbyhillforacellphone
signal.‘‘I’mO.K.;iseverybodyO.K.?’’
heaskshiswifebeforehangingup.
2.1 million Syrian refugees
in neighboring countries,
and counting
LEBANON
790,000
Lebanon is home to the largest
number of Syrian refugees. The
country’spopulation has grown
about 20 percent over the last
year because of the influx.
There are no official camps for
Syrians in Lebanon. Refugees
live in half-finished cinder block
houses, stables, rented
apartments and makeshift
camps.
Peshkhabour
TURKEY
The Syrian refugee crisis has
exploded from 230,000
people ayear ago to more
than 2.1 million who have left
the countrytoday.The
desperatesituation is only
surpassed in the last20years
by the diasporacreated by
Rwanda's genocide in 1994.
Inside Syria, 4million have left
their homes, bringing the total
number forced into flight to 6
million.
Aleppo
IRAQ
SYRIA
4MILLION INTERNALLY
DISPLACED
JORDAN
543,000
In Jordan, the Zaatari camp is
the firststop for many refugees.
The camp’s population has
exploded to 120,000 residents
in one year.
Hama
Homs
LEBANON
Beirut
TURKEY
504,000
The Turkish government houses
about 200,000 refugees in tent
and container camps, and at
least300,000 are spread
around the country.
SYRIAN DESERT
Damascus
Mediterranean
Sea
Refugee camps and
concentrations of
internally displaced
Areas of conflict
Golan
Heig
h
ts
Registeredrefugees
Dara’a
IRAQ
197,000
Many Syrian refugees in Iraq
are from the Kurdish minority.
In August, as many as 40,000
people hiked through the
border town of Peshkhabour,in
Iraqi Kurdistan.
2million
Mafraq
JORDAN
Zaatari
WEST
BANK
1.5
ISRAEL
Amman
1.0
First
protests
0.5
150 km
EGYPT
EGYPT
126,000
Despite Egypt’spolitical crisis,
the number of Syrians in the
countryhas increased tenfold
this year.Many arrive trying to
reach Europe by boat.
March
2011
Jan.
2012
Jan.
2013
Sept.
Sources: Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, U.S. Department of State
ANELDEST SON’SBURDENS
‘‘WherearetheJordanians?’’Noman
Sarhan,38,said,repeatingajokepopu-
laramongSyriansinMafraq.
MostSyrianrefugeeshavegravitated
notintocamps,butintocitieslikeMaf-
raq,wherethepopulationhasdoubled
to250,000.Withareputationforbeing
hard-working,resourcefulandskilledat
business,manySyrianshavefound
jobs,sometimesattheexpenseofJorda-
nians.Othershavestartedbusinesses,
includingMr.Sarhanandhiswife,Feda,
who,witha$25,000investmentfroma
cousin,recentlyopenedahairsalon.
Hestoodinthemiddleofthecity’s
oncequietmaincommercialstreet,
NomanSarhanputtinghis7-year-olddaughteronaschoolbusinMafraq.ManySyrians
havegravitatedtothecity, inspiringajoke:‘‘WherearetheJordanians?’’
ThenationalidentificationbookletofHasanSarhanlyingopeninhisfamily’sJordanian
apartment.Ofhisformerhometown,hesays,‘‘Wecanleadabetterlifeoverthere.’’
arousetheSarhans’suspicionsduring
thewar:afamilyfromtheAlawitesect
oftheSyrianpresident,noteworthybe-
causeof theirscarcenumbersin
Dara’a.
Awest-facingbalconyonthefourth
floor—thesameonestruckbytherock-
et—washerhusband’sfavoritecorner
ofthehouse.Thebalconylookedout
overthecity,theminaretoftheOmari
mosquerisinginthedistance.
Theapricottree,justafewinches
highwhenitwasplantedeightyears
ago,grewtallerthantheadultsinthe
family.
‘‘Hewouldsay,‘Nowweareliving,fi-
nally,’’’Ms.Sarhanrecalled.
‘‘Wespent10yearsinthathousebe-
foretherevolution,andtheywerethe
happiestyearsofmylife,’’shesaid.‘‘My
husbandandIcouldn’tbelievewewere
thathappy,andthentherevolutionde-
stroyedus.’’
ThewarthathasengulfedSyria
beganinDara’ainMarch2011after
someteenageboysspray-painteda
schoolwallwithantigovernmentgraf-
fitiandMr.Assad’sforcesarrestedand
torturedthem,settingoffprotests.
Ms.Sarhan’ssonshadtakenlittlein-
terestinpoliticsinthepast.Butlike
manymeninDara’a,theysoonjoined
theantigovernmentmovement, not
fightingbuthelpingtoorganizeprotests.
Forthat,theypaidheavily.Twowere
detained,andonewentintohiding.With
themoodincreasinglymenacingin
Dara’a,NomanSarhan—whohadlost
hisairportjobbecause,hebelieves,of
hisDara’aroots—fledtoJordanwith
hiswifeandchildren.
WedadSarhanisgrippedbythecon-
victionthathersons’troublescame
fromwithin,thatherAlawiteneighbors
betrayedthembyactingasgovernment
informants. Thesoldiers’ detailed
knowledgeofthebrothers’activities
andtheirwhereabouts,aswellasthe
Alawiteneighbors’eventualflight,left
nodoubtinhermind.
‘‘Theysentmysonstotheirdestruc-
tion,’’shesaid.‘‘Ifmysonsarereleased,
Icouldforgivethem.Butiftheyarenot,
I’mnotsurewhatIwillfeelwhenIsee
themagain.’’
FEARSANDUNCERTAINTY
AbalconyinHasanSarhan’sapart-
ment,thisonealsofacingwest,stares
acrossavalleyataPalestinianneigh-
borhoodbuiltonanotherrockyhill.Pal-
estinianrefugeessettledthereafter
1967andneverleft.
NomanSarhan,wholivedinHasan’s
apartmentuntilafewmonthsago,said,
‘‘WhenIcamehereayearago,other
SyriansandIjokedthatwewouldgo
backhomeafterthreeorfourdays,one
monthatmost.Nowwejokeabout
whetherwe’llbeherein15yearsand
stillbetalkingofgoinghomelikethe
Palestinians.’’
Recentnewsfromhomewasgrim.A
cousinwaskilledbyasnipertwoweeks
ago.Thentherewasthematteroftheir
brotherinthemilitaryprisoninDamas-
cus.ADara’aacquaintance,witharela-
tiveinthesameprison,sentwordthat
‘‘We jokeaboutwhether
we’llbeherein15yearsand
stillbetalkingofgoinghome
likethePalestinians.’’
wherethesidewalksandstoresarenow
throngedwithcustomers.Heexchanged
greetingswithaSyriancarpetstore
ownerfromHoms.HetalkedtoSyrian
workersatashawarmarestaurant.
Then,atonelargerestaurant,Mr.
Sarhancasuallyaskedthecashier
whetherithadopenedsincethearrival
oftheSyrians,aquestionthatexposed
theunderlyingtensionbetweentheSyr-
ianrefugeesandtheirJordanianhosts.
TheJordaniancashiercameoutofhis
boothwithawidesmilethatwasquickly
beliedbyhisbodylanguage, then
words.
‘‘Weopenedsevenmonthsbeforethe
startoftheSyrianrevolution,’’thecash-
ier,ZeidJabri,24,snapped.‘‘Wewere
developedbeforeyoucamehere.’’
Mr.Sarhanfellsilent.Hequickened
hispace.Hestaredahead,avoidingthe
eyecontactthatwouldimmediately
drawstoreownersoutontotheside-
walk.
‘‘Idon’tlikeMafraq,’’hesaidfinally.
‘‘TherearetoomanySyrianshere.The
Jordaniansdon’tlookatyouasanindi-
vidualbutlumpyouinwithallthe
refugees.’’
NomanwasthefirstoftheSarhansto
crossintoJordan,arrivingwithhiswife
andfourchildren13monthsago.They
livedinanapartmentinAmmanuntila
fewmonthsago,whentheyturnedit
overtohisyoungerbrotherHasanso
thathecouldbenearhiswounded
daughter’srehabilitationcenter.Be-
sides,FedaSarhanhasrelativesinMaf-
raq,andthelargeSyrianpopulation
presentedabusinessopportunity.
‘‘I’mnothappyaboutopeningabusi-
nessinJordan,’’saidNomanSarhan,
whowasanaviationmaintenancework-
erattheDamascusairportbeforethe
war.‘‘Idon’twanttoputdownroots
here,butIhavetoconsiderallthepossi-
bilities.’’
Hesettledinathome,insidealarge
buildingwherehisfamilyrentsan
apartmentandspaceforthesalonnext
door.Familylifeeaseshisnerves.When
his4-year-oldsongotanosebleed,he
joked,‘‘Basharshotme,’’referringto
Syria’spresident,Basharal-Assad.His
7-year-olddaughter,whojuststartedat-
tendinga$70-a-monthprivateschool,
wastheonlyoneabsent.
InDara’a,FedaSarhanownedapop-
‘‘SometimesIfeelI’m
drowning.Idon’tcarewho
lendsmeahand.Ijustwantto
getoutofthepool.’’
theSarhans’brotherhaddied.Noman
andHasandismissedtheinformationas
unreliable.
Therewas,though,adeeperresigna-
tioninNoman’svoiceandeyes.‘‘Atthis
point,’’hesaid,‘‘I’mcompletelypre-
paredtohearthatoneofmybrothers
hasbeenkilled.’’
Hisswellingdebts—heowesabout
$8,000tohiswife’scousin—madehim
doubthowmuchlongerhecouldsup-
porthisyoungerbrotherinAmman.
Perhapsnotmorethanfivemonthsun-
lessbusinesspickedupathiswife’shair
salon.
‘‘SometimesIfeelI’mdrowning,’’he
said.‘‘Idon’tcarewholendsmeahand.
Ijustwanttogetoutofthepool.’’
Nomangavenohintofhisworriesas
heandHasansatonthebalconyone
morning.Weedshadtakenovertwo
hangingbaskets.Acactus,leftbehind
byaprevioustenant,satinacorner.
LamaservedTurkishcoffee.
Perhapsbecausehefeltguiltyforbur-
deninghisolderbrother,Hasanstarted
speakingagainofreturningtoSyria.
Nomandismissedtheidea.
Hasanlightedacigarette.‘‘Maybewe
cangobackwhentherevolutionissuc-
cessful,’’hesaid,asifmusingtohimself.
‘‘Buthowlongwillthattake?We
thoughtitwasgoingtobeoverin
months.Willittakeyears?’’
‘‘Months,’’Nomansaid,shootinga
glanceathisyoungerbrother.
Hasandidnotreturnit.‘‘Howlong,’’
hesaid,‘‘doesittakeatreetogrow?’’
PHOTOGRAPHSBYLYNSEYADDARIOFORTHENEWYORKTIMES
WedadSarhanataclinicinAmmanwithhergranddaughter,whowasmaimedbyarocketinSyriaandmaybefittedforaprostheticleg.
ularhairsalonthatwaslootedand
burnedtothegroundfivemonthsago.
Someofheroldcustomershavestarted
tricklinginhere,andwordofmouthhas
drawnnewones.Sheiscontentwith
buildingaSyrianclientele.Jordanians
haveheldprotestsagainstSyrian
refugeesinMafraq,andshefearsbeing
caughtinanytrouble.
‘‘Wedon’tmixwiththeJordanians,’’
shesaid.
Astheeldestsoninthefamily,Mr.
Sarhangrewupknowingthatitwashis
dutytolookafterhissiblings.
Buttakingcareofhisyoungerbrother
Hasanandotherrelatives,ashewasdo-
ingnow,wasthreateningtosinkhim.
Thewar’sshiftingnaturegavelittle
hopeofawayout,forhimorforhis
country.
Sinceearlyinthewar,hehassuppor-
tedtheFreeSyrianArmy,theWestern-
alignedrebelgroup,buthewasnow
worriedabouttheriseofIslamicmili-
tants.Earlyon,hebelievedthatSunni
MuslimslikehimselfandAlawites,
membersofMr.Assad’sminorityShiite
sect,weregalvanizedbyasharedquest
fordemocracy.Nowhefearsthatthe
warhaslastedtoolong,thattoomuch
bloodhasbeenshed,thattoomanywill
seektoredeemtheirlosses.
‘‘Iknowthattherewillberevenge
killingsinSyriaforthenext10to20
years,’’Mr.Sarhansaid.‘‘Someofthe
rebelgroupswilltakerevengeagainst
men,women,theirchildren,theyoung
andold.TheywillnotleaveoneAlawite
alive.’’
herfriends.Arefugeefromanotherera,
hearrivedinDara’aattheageof16in
1967withhisparents.Drivenoutoftheir
nativeGolanHeightsaftertheArab-Is-
raeliwarthatyear,theysettledina
refugeecampoccupiedbySyrianSunni
MuslimsononesideandPalestinians
ontheother.
Thecouplemovedintoatwo-room
houseinthecampwheretheireight
childrenwerebornandgrewup.Neigh-
borscouldlookdownintotheirhome.
Antscrawledacrossthegravelfloor.
LifeintheDara’acamplefthersons
withgrievances that, rightlyor
wrongly,theyassociatedwithMr.As-
sadandhisfather,Hafezal-Assad,who
seizedpowerin1970.
‘‘Myfatherworkedfor30yearsinthe
army,butbecauseofhislowgovern-
mentsalary,wewereunabletoescape
thepovertyofthecamp,’’NomanSar-
hansaid.‘‘Wesufferedgreatinjustices,
economicandpolitical.Syriaisrichin
oil,agricultureandwater,butthepeople
arepoor.ThepeopleclosetoAssadcon-
trolledtheeconomy.’’
In2000,theSarhansleftthecampand
managedtobuythethirdandfourth
floorsofafour-storyapartmentbuilding
ontheoutskirtsofDara’a.
Aroundthattime,thesecondfloor
wasoccupiedbypeopledestinedto
AMOTHER’SANGUISH
WedadSarhan,57,wasworried.Her
husbandhadnotcalledintwodays,a
signoffightingintheirneighborhoodin
Dara’a.Norwastherewordyetofher
thirdson,theonepresumedtobeinthe
militaryprisoninDamascus.
Buttherewassomereassuringnews.
Aftermonthsofnocommunication,the
youngerofhertwodaughtersmanaged
tovisitMs.Sarhan’sfifthson,whohas
beendetainedforthepastyear.Hewas
fine—andrelieved.
‘‘MysonthoughtI’dbeenkilled,’’Ms.
Sarhansaid,tearswellingatthepain
thisbeliefhadcausedhim.
Ms.Sarhan,hersonssay,isnowdriv-
enbyasenseofmissiontoprotecther
granddaughterDouaa,wholostherleft
legbelowthekneeintherocketattack.
Douaa,whowas17monthsoldatthe
time,successfullyunderwenttwooper-
ations,andthereisnowtalkoffitting
herforaprostheticleg.
BorninDara’a,Ms.Sarhanmarried
HussainSarhanovertheobjectionsof
AYOUNGERSON’SGRIEF
HasanSarhan,29,wastheonlyoneof
thesixbrotherswhodidnotparticipate
intheantigovernmentmovement.
‘‘Mygoalwastotakecareofmywife
andchildren,’’hesaid.‘‘Isawwhatthey
didtopeoplewhowereinvolvedinthe
revolution.Iwasn’tinterested.’’
Therewassomethingelse.Healmost
diedfromstomachcancerasachildand
wasillforyears.Heneverplayedsports
andwasexemptedfrommilitaryser-
vice.
Beforethewar,heearned$6adayas
ataxidriver.Itwouldtakehimayear
andahalf,hefigured,tosaveforadown
....
THURSDAY,OCTOBER17, 2013
|
5
INTERNATIONAL NEW YORK TIMES
UNITEDSTATES
WORLDNEWS
SenatebilloffersHouseRepublicanslittlepayoff
CONGRESS,FROMPAGE1
watch,effectivelysayingthatAmerican
creditworthinessmightbedowngraded
becauseofthemountingsignsofpara-
lyzingpoliticaldysfunction.Adown-
gradecouldcomeevenafteraCongres-
sionaldeal.
ThecostofCongress’gridlockhas
alreadyrunwellintothebillions,econo-
mistsestimate.Andthetotalwillcontin-
uetogrowaftertheshutdownendsand
uncertaintypersistsaboutwhetherlaw-
makersmightreachanotherdeadlock
nextyear.
Acompleteaccountingmighttake
monthstoputtogetheroncethegovern-
mentreopensandtheTreasuryreturns
toaddingtothecountry’sdebt.But
economists said theconfrontation
wouldtakeabiteoutoffourth-quarter
growth,withknock-oneffectsforem-
ployment,businessearningsandbor-
rowingcosts.Thoseeffectswouldbe
global.
‘‘Wesawhugeeffectsduringthesum-
merof2011,withconsumerconfidence
hittinga31-yearlowinAugustand
third-quarterG.D.P.growingjust1.4
percent,’’saidBethAnnBovino,the
chiefUnitedStateseconomistatStan-
dard&Poor’s.‘‘Giventhatthisroundof
debt-ceilingnegotiations’’ iscoming
duringashutdown,shesaid,‘‘theim-
pactontheeconomycouldbeevenmore
severe.’’
Economistswerequicktopointout
thattheshutdownandnearbreachof
thedebtceilingwouldbeunlikelytode-
railtherecovery,andthata‘‘snap-
back’’ofpent-upspendingmaytake
place.Still,manybusinessesmightnot
recoverallofthemoneytheywould
havemadehadthegovernmentoper-
atednormally,saidShaiAkabasofthe
BipartisanPolicyCenter,aWashington
researchgroup.
Thetwo-weekshutdownhastrimmed
about0.3percentagepointsfromfourth-
quartergrowth,theforecastingfirm
MacroeconomicAdvisershasestimat-
ed.Standard&Poor’s,theNewYork
ratingsagency,estimatesthattheshut-
downwillcut0.3percentagepointfrom
fourth-quartergrowthforeveryweekit
goeson.
Theshutdownhasalreadyledtothe
biggestplungeinconsumerconfidence
sincethecollapseofLehmanBrothers
in2008.Andithashadrippleeffectson
manyindustriesthatrelyonthefederal
governmentinonewayoranother.Im-
portinspections,exportfinancingand
oilandgaspermittinghavegroundtoa
ALEXWONG/GETTYIMAGES-AFP
TheSenateminorityleader,MitchMcConnell,inWashingtononWednesday. Mr.McConnell,whonegotiated
thenewagreementwithSenatorHarryReid,indicatedthatthefightoverhealthcarewasfarfromover.
DOUGMILLS/THENEWYORKTIMES
SenatorTedCruzofTexasonCapitolHillonWednesday. ATeaParty-alignedconservativewhowasamajor
forcebehindthestandoff,Mr.CruzsaidhewouldnotblockquickactiononthebillnowheadedforaHousevote.
halt,insomecases.
FacedwithWashington’smarchto-
wardadefault,theworldhasreacted
mostlywithdisbeliefthatthereigning
superpowercouldfallintosuchdys-
function,worryoverglobalsufferingto
comeandfrustrationthatAmerican
lawmakerscouldlettheproblemreach
thispoint.
Acommonquestioncrossingconti-
nentsremainsquitesimple:TheAmer-
icansaren’treallythatunreasonable
andself-destructive,arethey?
‘‘Itjustgoestoshowthatit’snotonly
Greecethathasirresponsibleandshort-
sightedpoliticians,’’saidIoannaKa-
lavryti,34,ateacherinAthens.‘‘We’ve
beenheldhostagebyourrecklesspoliti-
cians,andtheintereststheyserve,for
morethanthreeyearsnow.Iguessour
Americanfriendsaregettingatasteof
thesamemedicine.’’
Republicans,havingtouchedoffthe
currentconfrontationwithaboldde-
mandtoendallfundingforthepresi-
dent’ssignaturehealthcarelaw,ap-
pearedintheendtohavewonthe
slimmestofconcessions:thattherev-
enuesofthoseapplyingforhealthinsur-
ancesubsidiesfromthegovernmentbe
confirmed.
Still,someofthepoliticaldynamics
thatencouragedacoreofconservative,
TeaParty-alignedRepublicanstoag-
gressivelypushtheirdemandswillsur-
vivethelatestclashes.Someofthose
lawmakers,insafelyRepublicandis-
tricts,canevenbeexpectedtopointto
votesagainstthenewbillastheyseek
tofendoffelectoralchallengerscoming
fromevenfartherright.
AndSenatorMitchMcConnell,the
Republicanleaderwhonegotiatedthe
agreementwithMr.Reid,indicatedthat
thefightoverhealthcarewasfarfrom
over.
‘‘Thislawisravagingoureconomy,
killingjobs,drivinguppremiumsand
drivingpeopleoffthecoveragethey
have,andlike, indroves,’’hesaid,
addingthatDemocrats’ ‘‘refusal to
delayitreflectsakindofstubbornideo-
logicalobsession.’’Buthesaidthat
whileRepublicansthisweekhadgained
farlessthanmanyhadhopedfor,itwas
‘‘farbetterthansomehadsought.’’
MainstreamRepublicans,andthe
businesswingoftheparty,haveex-
presseddeepunhappinesswiththeflir-
tationwithdefault.Somebusiness
groupshaveevenspokenopenlyabout
fundingmorecentristchallengersto
TeaPartymembersseekingre-elec-
tion.
ChastenedSenateRepublicanssaid
theyhopedthattheoutcomewouldbea
learningexperienceforthelawmakers
intheHouseandSenatewhoshutdown
thegovernment.
Insteadofusingthetwindeadlinesof
anendtogovernmentfundingandbor-
rowingauthoritytoaddressthedrivers
ofthefederaldeficit—thegrowthofthe
bigentitlementprogramslikeSocialSe-
curityandMedicare—conservatives
focusedonalawtheycouldneverundo
aslongasMr.Obamaispresident,sev-
eralsenatorssaid.
‘‘Wetooksomebreadcrumbsandleft
anentiremealonthetable,’’saidSena-
torLindseyGraham,Republicanof
SouthCarolina.‘‘Thishasbeenareally
badtwoweeksfortheRepublican
Party.’’
SenateRepublicansgatheredon
Wednesdayforafinalreviewofthe
plan,butlawmakershavegivennoindi-
cationtheywillblockit.
Notably,SenatorTedCruzofTexas,a
Tea-Partyalignedconservativewho
wasamajorforcebehindthestandoff,
saidhewouldnotblockquickactionon
thebill.
MichaelD.ShearandAnnieLowrey
contributedreportingfromWashington,
NelsonD.SchwartzandNathanielPop-
perfromNewYork,NikiKitsantonis
fromAthensandDamienCavefrom
MexicoCity.
SHARINGREFLECTIONS.
RosewoodMayakoba,Mexico
ATRUEJOURNEYNEVERENDS.
rosewoodhotels.com
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