country: Syria

Stay updated with comprehensive news on Syria from Worldcrunch. Discover insights on Syrian politics, economic strategies, societal issues, and cultural landmarks with translations from top international sources. Highlights include Damascus, Syrian history, and cultural events.

In The News

Three Brothers On Three Sides Of The War In Syria

Post author By lmacret
Post date February 7, 2017

Near Kobani, Syria Kurdishstruggle

DAMASCUS – Now in its sixth year, the war in Syria has torn through the country’s cities, sects and social fabric. For families like Um Mahmoud’s, Syria’s frontlines have even invaded their homes. The mother has seen her three sons join opposing sides of the war and has been unable to stop them from turning on each other. Her story is just one example of how the war has torn families apart for countless reasons. Some families have been divided by ideological differences and political affiliations. Other families have fled the country and been scattered across borders. Um Mahmoud blames […]

Tags abel, cain, damascus, fraternal, syria

In The News

Worse Than Prison, The Life Of Syria’s Female Ex-Inmates

Post author By lmacret
Post date January 17, 2017

Leo about to drop Worldcrunch/Prisma

Women held in Syria’s government prisons report psychological abuse, sexual assault and torture. But for many, the suffering they experience after their release is even worse.

Tags crackdown, human, jail, prison, rights, syria, torture, women

In The News

My Kids, Koran And Badminton Racket, Baggage Of A Syrian Refugee

Post author By lmacret
Post date January 6, 2017

Mustafa Awad, from Idlib, is a national badminton champion. Iason Athanasiadis

This is part of a Syria Deeply series “Bags and Belongings,” in which we ask refugees what they packed in their bags and what they left behind. Here we meet Mustafa Awad, a Syrian badminton coach from the northwestern city of Idlib who recently arrived in Athens with his wife and three children. Read the first installment here. ATHENS — We come from Idlib, a city that was once so beautiful it was nicknamed the Green, but is now known as Red Idlib from the amount of blood spilled over it. We love peace and quiet, but the war forced […]

Tags badminton, migrant, refugee, sport, syria, war

In The News

From The Ashes Of Aleppo, A New World Order Is Born

Post author By
Post date January 3, 2017

Snow in Aleppo on Dec. 21 Ammar Safarjalani/Xinhua/ZUMA

PARIS — The victory of the Russians, Iranians and of the Syrian regime in Aleppo is a strategic turning point in the organization of international relations. It marks the West’s fading out and the return of power politics in the Middle East. But it doesn’t necessarily mean the end of the war. Here are four […]

Tags assad, future, iran, isis, putin, syria, trump, united nations

Society Syria Crisis

Aleppo, A Historic City Of Peace And Commerce Turns To Dust

Post author By
Post date December 20, 2016

Man walking in Aleppo on Dec. 17 Ammar Safarjalany/Xinhua/ZUMA

Before it became the Syrian rebellion stronghold, Aleppo was the heart of ancient civilizations.

Tags aleppo, ancient civilization, heritage, history, syria, trade

In The News

After Aleppo Inferno, Idlib To Become ‘Purgatory’

Post author By lmacret
Post date December 16, 2016

Syrian refugees in a camp in the Idlib province Juma Muhammad/ImagesLive/ZUMA

For moderate, unarmed rebels, as well as anyone wanted by the government, the rapid and brutal offensive to retake east Aleppo is a sign of what’s to come elsewhere in Syria.

Tags aleppo idlib assad putin russia trump bombing, aleppo idlib assad putin russia trump bombing civilians, syria

Ideas Syria Crisis

Why The War In Syria Is Far From Over

Post author By
Post date December 14, 2016

A pro-government Syrian soldier prepares ammunition in Aleppo. Yang Zhen/Xinhua via ZUMA

After the fall of Aleppo, various alliances of convenience will be put to the test, as the scenario suddenly gets more complicated for both Damascus and Moscow.

Tags al qaeda, assad, diplomacy, iran, isis, putin, saudi arabia, syria

In The News

Syrian Brothers Split By War Report From Both Sides Of Border

Post author By lmacret
Post date December 13, 2016

Syrian refugees across the border in Gaziantep, Turkey Uygar Onder Simsek / Moku/DPA via ZUMA

GAZIANTEP — “The nightmares only started when I left Aleppo,” says 30-year-old Mahmoud, a Syrian activist and journalist now living as a refugee in Turkey. “Before — even after my best friend was killed next to me when we were filming a battle against the regime — I felt sad but I never had nightmares,” he said, speaking in late September in a southern Turkish border town. Mahmoud lost a finger that day in 2013, and his friend’s skull was shattered. Over years of reporting in Syria, Mahmoud faced much danger and personal loss. But it wasn’t until six months […]

Tags aleppo, assad, border, isis, refugee, syria, war

In The News

In Damascus, War And Shame Conquer Love

Post author By lmacret
Post date December 9, 2016

Damascus, before the war arrived ... Qin Haishi/Xinhua/ZUMA

-Essay- DAMASCUS — Last month, I was in a bar with a friend, and I met a nice guy who, a long time ago, I knew only by name. We exchanged numbers, and after a couple of random meetings I could sense his interest in me, and his willingness to take things further. I’d love to have a partner and a happy relationship, regardless of where it might go. He is an educated writer, artist, a feminist – in short, a perfect fit for me! Except for one detail: He used to be strongly loyal to Bashar al-Assad and his […]

Tags syria

In The News

Trump, Just The President Assad Has Been Waiting For

Post author By lmacret
Post date December 2, 2016

A pro-Assad protester in Warsaw last month Anna Ferensowicz/Pacific Press via ZUMA

-Analysis- BEIRUT — On the morning of Nov. 9, as the U.S. presidential votes were being counted, residents of rebel-held eastern Aleppo, which has been under total siege since July, were trying to find some consolation in dark humor. “I think Trump will win in the elections because he is the real face of American politics,” Najmaldin Khaled, an English teacher and editor at the Shahba Press Agency, said in a group conversation on WhatsApp, which residents of Eastern Aleppo use to communicate with the outside world. “Trying to look at the bright side of it, no more claims about […]

Tags assad, politics, syria, trump, war

In The News

Putin’s Way, How Russia Is Imposing Its Mandate In Syria

Post author By
Post date November 30, 2016

At the Khmeimim air base Russian Ministry of Defense

ALEPPO — In his smoke-filled office in western Aleppo, Tarif Attoura holds a copy of the draft agreement to let the rebels leave the eastern part of the city, under siege for three months. “It was the Russians who drew up the document in their Center for Reconciliation at the Khmeimim air base, near Latakia,” […]

Tags assad, hezbollah, influence, iran, isis, israel, putin, syria

Geopolitics Syria Crisis

In Syrian War, Numbers Can Be Numbing But We Desperately Need Them

Post author By lmacret
Post date November 28, 2016

Bombed hospital in the Syrian village of Awaijel on Nov. 15 Juma Muhammad/ImagesLiveZUMA

Mohamad Katoub, a former doctor who escaped from eastern Ghouta, always felt that Syria’s daily toll of deaths and casualties are more than just numbers – until he saw the power those statistics had. Here, he explains why he changed his mind.

Tags medicine war aid humanitarian Syria, numbers health war aid humanitarian medicine, syria

Ideas Syria Crisis

How The U.S. Is Unintentionally Helping Syria’s Assad

Post author By lmacret
Post date November 15, 2016

FSA soldier in Aleppo on Aug. 16 Louai Barakat ImagesLive/ZUMA

The United States intervened militarily in Syria under the premise of the ‘war on terror’ and the fight against ISIS, but their presence is actually helping the Syrian government.

Tags assad, foreign policy, russia, syria, syrian troops, united states, us, war on terror

Ideas Syria Crisis

Why UN Security Council Failing Aleppo Surprises No One

Post author By lmacret
Post date October 31, 2016

Scenes of war in Aleppo Ibrahim Khader/Pacific Press/ZUMA

-OpEd- NEW YORK — I’m almost certain I saw Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at the Strand bookstore in Manhattan today. I wanted to walk over and call him a war criminal and a monster, and tell everyone around us that he was the man butchering unarmed civilians in Aleppo. But after half an hour of stalking him through the fiction and film stacks, I still couldn’t determine if it was really him. I pulled up a Wikipedia page with his photo as a reference. I read that during his university days Lavrov was active in drama. This was quite […]

Tags aleppo, bosnia, lavrov, russia, syria, war crimes

Geopolitics Syria Crisis

A 16-Year-Old’s Escape From Syria, In A Wheelchair

Post author By lmacret
Post date October 24, 2016

Nujeen and her sister waiting for a bus to take them to a camp in Germany Nujeen Mustafa

Nujeen Mustafa didn’t realize fleeing from Syria to Europe in a wheelchair would be considered extraordinary. Now in Germany, she has written a book about her journey.

Tags Bashar al-Assad, migrants, refugees, syria, syria war, testimony

Geopolitics Syria Crisis

Inside Bustan al-Qasr, The Front Line Of A Divided Aleppo

Post author By
Post date October 21, 2016

Soldier running in Bustan al-Qasr, Aleppo Ibrahim Khader/Pacific Press/ZUMA

This Aleppo neighborhood divides government and rebel forces, and the only things the two sides exchange are hostages and dead bodies.

Tags al-nusra, assad, ceasefire, evacuation, humanitarian, jihad, putin, rebels, syria

Ideas Syria Crisis

The Method Behind Assad’s Mad Propaganda

Post author By lmacret
Post date October 15, 2016

Assad's flowery rhetoric Ricardo Stuckert/ABr/Prisma

The Syrian government’s recent tourism videos of beautiful scenery and nightlife look ludicrous to Westerners who know the brutal truth about Aleppo, but the West isn’t the intended audience for this publicity blitz.

Tags airstrikes, Bashar al-Assad, dezinformatsiya, syria, syria crisis, syrian war, tourism

Geopolitics Ideas Syria Crisis

I’d Rather Live Under Siege In Aleppo Than Leave Her Behind

Post author By lmacret
Post date October 9, 2016

The Al-Ansari neighborhood in Aleppo Basem Ayoubi/ImagesLive/ZUMA

His beloved hometown grows more dangerous every day, but he can’t kiss her goodbye.

Tags aleppo, assad, siege, syria, war

Geopolitics Syria Crisis

Meanwhile In Damascus: Pro-Regime Optimism Far From Aleppo Siege

Post author By
Post date October 6, 2016

Syrian children playing in Al-Ghouta, Damascus Anas Alkarbotle/ImagesLive/ZUMA

The worst fear in the capital is a lasting truce between Russia and the United States, which they believe would halt the Assad regime’s offensive and delay the total victory.

Tags al qaeda, assad, damascus, hezbollah, isis, islamic state, syria, syrian civil war, syrian refugees, turkey

Geopolitics Syria Crisis

Aleppo Is Even Worse Than Srebrenica — So Is Western Apathy

Post author By
Post date August 20, 2016

Survivors of Russian airstrikes in Aleppo earlier this year Louai Barakat/ImagesLive via ZUMA

The humanitarian drama of the besieged city deepens. The people are simply not able to trust the alliance between Assad, Russia and Iran. And the West just looks on.

Tags aleppo, assad, diplocay, genocide, geopolitics, srebrenica massacre, syria

Society

The Risks In Syria Of Falling In Love With The Wrong Man

Post author By lmacret
Post date July 27, 2016

Woman on balcony in Latakia, Syria Michael Goodine

Women in the government-controlled province of Latakia must decide between love and danger if they are to marry men from opposition-held areas in Syria.

Tags conflict, love, marriage, sexual harassment, syria, syrian regime

Geopolitics Society

The Battle To Teach Syrian Kids When Schools Are Bombed

Post author By lmacret
Post date July 6, 2016

Kids on their way to school in Aleppo Ameer Al-Halbi/APA Images/ZUMA

Regular shelling from all sides has made it too dangerous for students to go to school in the Syrian city of Aleppo, so a group of volunteer teachers decided to open their own.

Tags airstrikes, Bashar al-Assad, children, education, Free Aleppo Governorate Council, government-run schools, insecurity, save the children, schools, syria, unicef, war

Society

Palmyra, The Politics And Poetry Of Restoring War Ruins

Post author By
Post date June 8, 2016

Signs in Palmyra of what came through Yang Zhen/Xinhua via ZUMA

PARIS — Should Palmyra be rebuilt? And under what conditions? No sooner had Syrian forces and the Russian Army freed the “pearl of the desert,” a spectacular Greco-Roman city with traces of Eastern influence, from the yoke of the Islamic State (ISIS), then the debate over how to restore it to its former glory was […]

Tags Angkor, archeology, culture, restoration, syria, unesco

Geopolitics

Where Are The Men Of Damascus?

Post author By lmacret
Post date June 7, 2016

Men walking in Damascus Ammar/Xinhua/ZUMA

Forced conscription for what many describe as “someone else’s war,” has led to widespread exodus and shuttered up draft-dodging for much of Syria’s adult male population.

Tags assad, conscripts, damascus, draft, syria, syrian men, war

Geopolitics

Syria’s Gruesome Organ Trade

Post author By lmacret
Post date June 1, 2016

A gunman inside a hospital in Aleppo, Syria Nicolas Hammarstrom/Kontinent/ZUMA

In Syria and its neighboring countries, an underground network of organ traders has sprung up, preying on the thousands affected by the five-year-long war by offering them desperately needed cash for nonessential organs.

Tags al-assad, conflict, organ trafficking, syria, syrian war, war zone

Geopolitics Syria Crisis

One Fighter’s Recruitment — And Escape — From ISIS

Post author By lmacret
Post date May 29, 2016

ISIS fighters train in Raqqa in November Planet Pix via ZUMA Wire

How a former fighter lost both his brothers: one to Bashar Al-Assad’s forces and the other to the Islamic State

Tags assad, Free Syria Army, isis, islamic state, jihad, syria

Syria Crisis

When Syrian Kids Become Wage Earners To Eat

Post author By lmacret
Post date May 7, 2016

Children playing in Dukhaniyeh, in the suburbs of Damascus, Syria Ammar/Xinhua/ZUMA

Violence, poverty and displacement have affected millions of Syrian children. In the besieged Damascus suburb of eastern Ghouta, many are foregoing their education and turning to selling wares in the streets to help support their families.

Tags children, Eastern Ghouta, loose money, scavenging, syria, syrian war

Syria Crisis

Back Door To Europe, Syrian Refugees Reroute Via Brazil

Post author By lmacret
Post date April 24, 2016

Tiete bus terminal, Sao Paulo, Brazil Thomas Hobbs

Following the plan by the EU and Turkey to turn back refugees, many are looking for alternative ways to reach Europe. A new path to the continent starts on the other side of the Atlantic — in South America — and continues through far-flung French terr

Tags asylum, borders, brazil, EU routes, French territories, refugees, syria, turkey

Geopolitics Syria Crisis

“Mistakes Were Made” — Interview With A Captured ISIS Fighter In Syria

Post author By
Post date April 17, 2016

A screenshot of Ahmad Derwish during the interview. Folha

Ahmad Derwish, an ISIS soldier imprisoned in Syria, offers a rare glimpse into the realities on the ground for the jihadist organization.

Tags assad, islam, radicalization, saudi arabia, syria, wahhabism

Geopolitics Syria Crisis

With Syria Ceasefire Holding, Damascus Is Quietly Reborn

Post author By
Post date April 7, 2016

Rolling back to life in Damascus Ammar/Xinhua/ZUMA

After gains by regime troops, with Russian air support, calm and nightlife have returned to the capital. And locals are back to betting on Assad’s survival.

Tags Bashar al-Assad, isis, syria, syrian civil war, vladimir putin

Syria Crisis

A Father’s Perilous Hunt For His Sons, Lost To Syria And ISIS

Post author By
Post date April 4, 2016

Joachim Gerhard carrying pictures of his two sons Florian Plettenberg

Joachim Gerhard’s two sons joined the terror group ISIS, severed ties with home and may very well be dead. None of that will stop this German father’s quest to bring his boys home.

Tags isis, islamic state, Joachim Gerhard, syria, terrorism

Geopolitics Migrant Lives Syria Crisis

Refugees: Escaping Syria Is More Dangerous Than Entering Europe

Post author By lmacret
Post date April 3, 2016

In Oncupinar, Syria, trying to enter Turkey. Depo Photos via ZUMA

The dangerous sea and land crossings that Syrian refugees are making to Europe have been well-documented. Less well known are the equally perilous journeys people take to leave Syria itself.

Tags migration, revolution, syria, war

Geopolitics

Islamization Of Crime: How ISIS Recruits Seasoned Criminals

Post author By
Post date March 29, 2016

The arrest in Brussels of Paris attack suspect Salah Abdeslam Amateur video screenshot

Even as ISIS loses ground in Syria and Iraq, its jihadists are bringing the war to Europe’s capitals in minutely planned terror attacks. It is a scenario driven by a new kind of criminal profile.

Tags brussels, criminals, infiltrators, paris, recruits, syria, terrorism

Geopolitics Society Syria Crisis

Chronicling The Syrian War Through Art

Post author By lmacret
Post date March 24, 2016

Bashar al-Assad graffiti thierry ehrmann/Abode of Chaos

Syria Deeply looks back at some of the history and evolution of the country’s revolutionary art over the past five years of war, including political graffiti, digital art and other mediums that have become part of the uprising’s language and culture.

Tags Bashar al-Assad, freedom of expression, graffiti, street art, syria, syrian crisis, syrian war, tag

Geopolitics Syria Crisis

The Bosnia Solution, How Russia Plans To Split Syria In Three

Post author By
Post date March 10, 2016

A Syrian Kurd family last April Ahmad Halabisaz/Xinhua/ZUMA

Moscow is quietly working toward a federal future for war-torn Syria, with a central government but the nation divided into three different ethnic zones. It’s a nod to Kurdish ambitions and lessons from the Balkans.

Tags assad, federalism, russia, syria, syrian civil war, turkey, united states

Geopolitics Syria Crisis

The Impossible Syrian Ceasefire

Post author By lmacret
Post date March 1, 2016

Walking on the rubble of Aleppo, Syria Ameer Al-Halbi/APA Images/ZUMA

The internationally brokered ceasefire had a rocky start. While the first 24 hours passed relatively quietly, Russian and Syrian government air strikes picked up again on Sunday, with airplanes targeting towns and villages controlled by the Free Syrian Ar

Tags al-nusra, fsa, human rights, isis, syria, syria war, terrorism, ypg

Geopolitics Ideas Syria Crisis

The Syrian Trap: Is Russia Sending NATO To Its Grave?

Post author By
Post date February 22, 2016

At a New York rally in December against Russian support for Assad's regime Albin Lohr-Jones/Pacific Press via ZUMA

-Analysis- PARIS — Could the trap of the Syrian crisis break up NATO? This question, which carries potentially grave implications for the security of the West, might sound overblown. After all, NATO’s unfailing cohesion eventually brought down one of the most formidable war machines of all time, the Soviet Union. Still, the spreading corrosive capacities […]

Tags alliance, erdogan, isis, kurdish, putin, russia, syria, turkey

Geopolitics Syria Crisis

The Tragedy Of Madaya Explained

Post author By lmacret
Post date February 16, 2016

Red Crescent aid arriving in Madaya Madaya Facebook community page

The siege of Madaya began in July, but global pressure on the Syrian government to allow humanitarian access didn’t begin to build until nearly 30 people had died of starvation. Why did it take so long?

Tags Bashar al-Assad, isis, islamic state, refugees, Siege of Madaya, syria

Migrant Lives Syria Crisis

How War Is Redrawing Syria’s Demographics Map Forever

Post author By
Post date February 14, 2016

Syrians fleeing Aleppo on Feb. 5 Depo Photos/ZUMA

GENEVA — War is reshaping Syria, causing massive displacements of populations that, even more than the rising casualty numbers, have shifted the roles played by the country’s principal ethnic and religious communities. Some groups have emerged strengthened, others weakened, now and perhaps forever. These demographic gains and losses will carry more weight in the long […]

Tags displacement, ethnic, migrants, population, religious, syria

Geopolitics Society

Turkmens, A Scapegoat In Russia-Turkey Feud Over Syria

Post author By lmacret
Post date January 29, 2016

Refugee children on the Turkey-Syria border. Barbaros Kayan/Depo Photos/ZUMA

The Turkmen minority of Syria have been forced from their homes after Moscow airstrikes. With ethnic links to Turkey, Ankara wants to help, though the border remains sealed shut.

Tags al-Yamdiya, free syrian army, migrants, refugees, syria, vladimir putin