In a coffee shop in the capital, a storyteller recounts tales of Arab heroism against the crusaders. It's a story that resonates well here, with Syrians feeling under siege from America. "The so called war on terrorism is causing more violence, more terrorism and more chaos in our region," complains government spokeswoman Bothaina Sha. The government claims to be opening up and reforming but Syrians are still subject to emergency laws limiting their freedom of speech. Torture is commonplace. "We can't speak about political things," complains one student. "They captured and arrested many students recently because of politics." But many other Syrians feel their country is slowly changing after decades of repression. They worry that tensions with America will delay further reforms. In the words of Professor Sadik Al Azem: "These pressures have become a pretext for saying, look we're under siege. How can you ask us to introduce such changes or lift martial law?"