Hearing the Wake Up Call

When I landed in Damascus in late 2005 as a foreign correspondent, I went looking for the most popular place where young Syrians spend their time. I found the American Cultural Center (ACC) to be one of the more popular hangouts with a staunchly loyal clientele. Housed inside an apartment building near the U.S. Embassy in west Damascus, the ACC became particularly crowded on film night, a weekly event where American films with a specific theme were screened and a discussion followed. There was Women’s History Month, African American Month, Native American Month, and the list went on. Young Syrian adults would skip their highly prized social mingling at coffee shops and instead show up at the ACC, some armed with pens and notepads, eager to ask questions about real life in America and the extent to which it resembled the movies.

The U.S. Embassy staff that I got to know during that time were just as enthusiastic about the affair, a chance to interact with curious locals who were eager to absorb American soft power.