Archive: syria
26th March 2011
The video above shows protesters in Deraa attacking a statue of the former Syrian president, Hafez al-Assad. The scene is highly evocative of Firdous Square in Baghdad, where Saddam Hussein's statue was toppled (with the aid of US troops) in 2003. Indeed, the wobbling statue of Assad is giving a… Read more
18th March 2011
Today, for the first time, there have been signs of real stirrings against the regime in Syria.
It's worth recalling that just over a month ago, when a "day of rage" was called by opposition members in exile, the only significant presence on the streets was that of the security forces.
Today was… Read more
26th November 2010
Syria and the International Atomic Energy Authority seem to have reached an impasse over nuclear inspections. According to a report this week, Syria is refusing access "to numerous suspect sites and has provided scant or inconsistent information about its atomic activities".
The problems began in… Read more
30th August 2010
Salam Kawakibi, of the Arab Reform Initiative and the University of Amsterdam, has produced two interesting papers about Syria: one on the media, the other on the internet.
The Private Media in Syria gives a brief history of the official media under the Baathist regime then looks in more detail at… Read more
16th July 2010
The French parliament's vote to ban the niqab has aroused international controversy. Meanwhile, Syria's attempt to ban the niqab in schools has attracted less attention. The Economist saysabout 1,200 teachers are affected and some of them have been transferred to other jobs.
Joshua Landis discusses… Read more
4th July 2010
Writing in the Saudi-owned paper, as-Sharq al-Awsat, Hussein Shobokshi discusses the recent visit to Syria by senior figures from leading American IT companies: Microsoft, Dell, Cisco Systems and Symantec.
He points out that the ability of these companies to do business in Syria is at present… Read more
30th June 2010
Around 25 men arrested at gay parties in Syria earlier this year are expected to go on trial shortly, according to a note posted on Facebook. Seventeen of them are facing three to seven years in jail for "unnatural acts" while others are likely to be tried for drugs offences.
The Gay Middle East… Read more
28th June 2010
The long-running drought in eastern Syrian – and the upheaval it is causing – has so far received scant attention. The UN's World Food Programme says it has received less than half the $22m needed to support 300,000 vulnerable people this year. Consequently, 110,000 will not be given help and the… Read more
24th June 2010
The Gay Middle East website (GME) has published a reportsummarising the situation for gay people in Syria –a country which is rarely discussed in this connection.
Although "carnal relations against the order of nature" are still punishable by up to three years in jail, GME detects some improvement… Read more
26th April 2010
Writing on the Syria Comment blog, Joshua Landis asks: "Why are US analysts surprised that Syria arms Hizbullah?" It's a good question, reflecting a lack of balance in US policy when it comes to Syria and Israel.
Referring to current debate about sending a US ambassador to Syria, Landis suggests… 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
