The program “Al-Muqabala” enjoys significant popularity for what it offers to the Arab audience in terms of secrets, behind-the-scenes insights, and the inner workings of the governing systems revealed by the program through the words of each episode’s guest. The guest is always a prominent figure in their country. The program unveils many secrets that the audience interacts with through comments on Al Jazeera’s social media pages, in addition to the great praise for the program and the selection of the personalities it hosts in each episode.
“Al-Muqabala” narrates the life and experiences of political, intellectual, cultural, and artistic figures through personal interviews conducted in informal atmospheres. The host, Ali Al-Zhafiri, sheds light on new aspects of these personalities’ lives.
In its latest episode, “Al-Muqabala” hosted Abdulhaleem Khaddam, the former Vice President of Syria, who spoke about the beginnings of the Ba’ath Party, Hafez al-Assad’s rise to power in Syria, and the complex relationship between Syria and Lebanon. Khaddam expressed that he does not regret leaving Syria and defecting from Bashar al-Assad’s regime, but he feels a sense of estrangement and nostalgia for his homeland. He affirmed that Syria was in ruins before Hafez al-Assad came to power, and Arab aid played a crucial role in stabilizing the country. Khaddam noted that Hafez al-Assad was a dictator, but he was keen on the unity of Syrian territory and maintained Arab relations, unlike his son Bashar al-Assad, whose era saw deteriorating relations with the Arab world, and Syria aligning more closely with Iran.
Khaddam rejected accusations of his involvement in the crimes committed by Hafez al-Assad’s regime in Syria, stating, “I was responsible for foreign relations, and I succeeded in restoring Syria to its natural position in the Arab and international arena. I was not responsible for domestic policies at all.”
Responding to a question about his role as a Sunni political cover for Hafez al-Assad, holding positions such as Vice President, Prime Minister, and Minister of Foreign Affairs, which were considered symbolic, Khaddam replied, “Speaking now is easier than speaking forty years ago, and Hafez al-Assad would kill any official just for feeling that they were not completely loyal or differed in opinion.” Regarding the military’s control over the Syrian state, Khaddam explained that the main problem in Syria is the absence of genuine political leadership, coupled with all parties seeking to engage with the army. This allowed the military to later take complete control of the state, leading to the imprisonment or elimination of party leaders.