Archive: syria
5th December 2012
The Syrian deputy foreign minister, Faisal al-Miqdad, has visited Cuba, Venezuela and Ecuador during the past week, delivering "classified personal letters" from President Assad to local leaders, Haaretz reports.
The Israeli newspaper says Assad is exploring the possibility of asylum in Latin… Read more
4th December 2012
Each day's news brings more reasons to believe the Assad regime's fall cannot be far away. Viewed individually these signs may not in themselves spell doom for the regime but collectively they do.
1. Withdrawal of UN and diplomatic personnel: The UN announced yesterday that it has … Read more
29th October 2012
Syria is increasingly becoming a battleground for Iraq's internal politics as Sunni and Shia elements from Iraq join the fray on opposite sides.
The influx of Sunni militants into Syria from across its eastern border has been widely reported, but we have heard far less about their Shia equivalent… Read more
20th October 2012
On Friday morning Lakhdar Brahimi, the international envoy who is trying to broker a truce in Syria, warned: "This conflict, label it as you wish, if it continues, will not be limited to the Syrian borders."
By Friday afternoon it appeared that Brahimi's prophecy was being fulfilled when a bomb… Read more
29th September 2012
A no-fly zone may yet be established in Syria – not imposed by foreign powers but through the efforts of rebel fighters on the ground. Air power is almost the only area of the conflict where the Assad regime still has a clear advantage, and the rebels are now beginning to challenge that.
The… Read more
20th September 2012
With events in Gaza dominating the news from the Middle East, the long-running conflict in Syria has slid down in the headlines. To the extent that Syria is being reported at all, the main story for several days has been of political wrangling over leadership of the opposition.
This is unfortunate… Read more
23rd July 2012
Following last week's assassination of several key figures, there are signs that the Assad regime is beginning to feel seriously threatened. It has taken the unprecedented step of warning the public that two of its most central institutions – the Republican Guard and the state TV – should be viewed… Read more
14th June 2012
So, is it a civil war or not? This question has dominated much of the public discussion about Syria over the last couple of days. Some say it is a civil war and some say it isn't, while others warn that if it isn't a civil war already it's going to become one very soon.
"Civil war", of course, is… Read more
10th June 2012
President Assad, like all dictators, is fond of talking about sovereignty. "Our guiding light is always Syria's sovereignty," he said in his speech on Monday.
Sovereignty is indeed at the heart of the Syrian conflict, but not in the way that Assad imagines it. When Assad claims sovereignty what he… Read more
4th June 2012
How does this sound as a way to end the conflict in Syria?
Step one: The Syrian parliament grants immunity from prosecution to President Assad and his closest associates.
Step two: Assad resigns as Syria's president but remains head of the Baath party, which in… 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
