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The Lawfare Podcast

Saria Samakie on Surviving Syria

The Lawfare Podcast

The Lawfare Institute

Law, Terrorism, History, Politics, News, National Security, Foreign Policy, Intelligence, Diplomacy, International Law, International Relations, Constitutional Law, Rule Of Law, Current Events, Government, Military

4.76.4K Ratings

🗓️ 12 December 2017

⏱️ 53 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Saria Samakie has a story unlike those of most of his peers at Georgetown. After being kidnapped three times in Syria, Samakie managed to flee the war-ravaged country and eventually arrived in the United States. Arne Duncan, a Brookings nonresident senior fellow and former secretary of education, recently interviewed Samakie to describe growing up in Syria, the harrowing experience of being a teenager under Assad’s regime, and what he envisions for his future—and his country’s. 

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Transcript

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0:00.0

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Also, check out LawFair's other podcast offerings,

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rational security, chatter, law fair no bull, and the aftermath.

0:30.0

So, one of them was called Rod,

0:36.0

and that translate literally into twilight,

0:38.0

and the guy asked me if I would take him as a brother.

0:42.0

And, you know, it's crazy to take someone who just kidnapped you as a brother,

0:46.0

and I was aware of that, but I was so vulnerable that I wanted someone,

0:50.0

and I accepted him as a brother.

0:52.0

And one day, I was by myself in the room,

0:54.0

he walks into the room, has a rifle with him, sits down next to me,

0:58.0

and he's like, have you ever held a rifle before, and I was like, fortunately not.

1:02.0

He teaches me how to put the rifle apart, how to hold it,

1:06.0

and now the rifle is in my hand.

1:08.0

He's sitting next to me, he's unarmed.

1:10.0

You know, the shift of power is with the person who's kidnapped,

1:14.0

and the kidnappers there are unarmed.

1:16.0

And I hold that AK-47, and I throw it back at him,

1:19.0

and he looks at me, and he's like, what did you do?

...

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