Some Syrian intellectuals say militant Islam has peaked.

"The regime on this issue continues to put the question ina very drastic way, 'It's either us or a Taliban government,' " said one Syrian intellectual.

That judgment is supported by Syrian intellectuals and others close to the Assad Government who were interviewed in Damascus but who asked for anonymity.

Another son, Basil, an ophthalmologist trained in England, is now being groomed, the Syrian intellectuals say.

Most support for the party came from Syrian intellectuals and Muslims, though Christians were encouraged to join as well.

Arab nationalism began to gain grounds in Egypt in the 1940s following efforts by Syrian, Palestinian and Lebanese intellectuals.

It was so named because 1000 Syrian intellectuals signed it.

The later 1930s would become a formative period for Arab nationalism in Egypt, in large part due to efforts by Syrian, Palestinian and Lebanese intellectuals.

The poem was a remarkable contribution by a Syrian intellectual in Syria's recent history that added color to the flame of life in the stagnant political atmosphere.

Some Syrian intellectuals have a darker view.