Archive: syria
1st March 2013
Sharmine Narwani, an Assad apologist who can be found on Twitter denouncing British universities and the western mainstream media, managed to cast off enough of her principles last month to write an article for the mainstream media while citing Oxford University in her author's credentials.
Her… Read more
26th February 2013
There has been a flurry of articles over the last few days about new weaponry reaching anti-Assad fighters in Syria. This is a very significant development, for two reasons.
First, it reflects a shift in attitudes among some western and Arab governments as far as arming the rebels is concerned. It'… Read more
25th February 2013
A tweet circulated today by numerous Twitter users casts a particularly nasty slur on Olivier Voisin, the French photographer who was fatally injured in Syria last week. It says:
"Dead French Photographer was State Department-Funded – Embedded in Syria With Al Qaeda"
There are no established facts… Read more
22nd February 2013
When Moaz al-Khatib, leader of the Syrian National Coalition, offered talks with representatives of the Assad regime his move infuriated many in the opposition. But it also put Assad on the spot and the Syrian president is now facing diplomatic pressure to respond.
"There has been a very important… Read more
7th February 2013
There are many unknowns in the Syrian conflict but perhaps the most important of all is a lack of knowledge about the thoughts and intentions of Bashar al-Assad. Outside Syria, few are better-placed to cast some light on that than Professor David Lesch, who gave a fascinating psychological profile… Read more
7th January 2013
Barring full-scale foreign intervention, a negotiated settlement in Syria is "becoming inevitable", Patrick Cockburn wrote in an article for the Independent last week.
As the dreadful carnage continues, shifting the battleground from Syria's streets to the conference table might seem an appealing… Read more
24th December 2012
Lakhdar Brahimi, the international envoy on Syria, is in Damascus today for what appears to be a hurriedly-arranged meeting with President Assad. Those taken by surprise included the Syrian information minister, Omran al-Zohbi: Brahimi was already on his way as Zohbi told reporters he was unaware… Read more
23rd December 2012
There are growing signs that Russia, the US and a number of other countries are now working behind the scenes to bring the Syrian conflict to a negotiated end.
The latest indication that something is afoot came on Saturday when a source at the Arab League said international envoy Lakhdar Brahimi… Read more
7th December 2012
The last few days have brought a sudden revival of diplomatic activity over Syria.
On Monday, Russian president Vladimir Putin met the Turkish prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in Istanbul. Yesterday, US secretary of state Hillary Clinton, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov and Lakhdar… Read more
6th December 2012
Fears about Syria's chemical weapons continue to grow – at least in some sections of the media and on Twitter.
"Syrian forces have mixed chemical weapons and loaded them into bombs in preparation for possible use on President Bashar Assad's own people," Fox News reports:
"A senior [unidentified] US… Read more
ARAB ART ONLINE: Susan Hefuna: Al Sabr Gamil (Patience is Beautiful) 2007. Ink stained on wood 140 x 170 cm. More information | Click to enlarge
