Tag: assad

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Eyes on the U.S. Geopolitics

For Trump, What’​s Really Driving About-Face In Syria?

A pensive Trump?
A pensive Trump? Olivier Douliery/ZUMA

WASHINGTON — It is either a turning point or a welcome aberration that President Trump found the cruelly extinguished lives of Syrian children to be compelling (or at least contributory) in his decision to use force in Syria. The nerve gas attack by the Bashar al-Assad regime, he said, “crossed a lot of lines for me . . . innocent children, innocent babies — babies, little babies.” Much of Trump’s appeal during his presidential campaign was based on dehumanization — the characterization of migrants as criminals and refugees as terrorist threats. This is the first instance I can recall of Trump showing […]

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In The News

In Syrian Hospital, No More Antidote For Chemical Victims

Treating one of the victims of the April 4 attack
Treating one of the victims of the April 4 attack Edlib/ZUMA

Syria Deeply talked Dr. Abdel Hay Tennari, who treated at least 22 critical victims from the April 4 toxic gas attack in Khan Sheikhoun.

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Eyes on the U.S. Syria Crisis Trump And The World

World Newspapers Analyze Trump’s ‘Trigger-Happy’ Turnaround On Syria

Anti-Assad poster in Bucharest, Romania
Anti-Assad poster in Bucharest, Romania zio fabio

-Analysis- For the longest time, Donald Trump has disparaged U.S. military involvement in the Middle East, mocked his rival’s strategy in Syria, and unequivocally stated that America’s enemy in the country was terror group ISIS, not President Bashar al-Assad. Then on Friday, with little warning, Trump, as U.S. president, launched airstrikes against Syria, the first […]

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Ideas Syria Crisis

Trump TV Changes Channels On Syria

President Trump in the White House
President Trump in the White House Olivier Douliery/CNP/ZUMA

We all know Donald Trump is sensitive to what he sees on TV. But rather than displaying thin skin about comedy sketches aimed at him, the American president has now joined the wider world in reacting to this week’s images of a brutal chemical attack in Syria. And in this case, it may shape the […]

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In The News

Another Chemical Attack In Syria, Still No Accountability

Victim of April 4 chemical attack
Victim of April 4 chemical attack Ferhat Dervisoglu/Depo Photo/ZUMA

Members of the U.N. Security Council will gather today for an emergency meeting following reports of a chemical attack in Syria that may have have killed between 50 and 100 people, including children. The appalling story is front-page news today in many of the world’s newspapers. The chemical attack is considered the deadliest in Syria […]

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In The News

When War Was Just A Game

When War Was Just A Game

These young Syrians in the western city of Homs paused from playing a mock game of war to look my way for a photograph. Current Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad, whose father had taken power two years earlier in Damascus, was about the same age as these kids. See more slides from My Grand-Père’s World.

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Ideas Syria Crisis

New Monday, New World: Russia Is In Charge

In Kazakhstan's capital Astana
In Kazakhstan's capital Astana Ken and Nyetta

Well that was quite a first weekend. After Donald Trump’s inauguration on Friday, an estimated two million people took to the streets worldwide to protest against the controversial new president, who continued his open warfare with the American press — and some would say, with the truth itself. Now, he faces a first work week […]

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Geopolitics Syria Crisis

Why Wounded Syrians Keep Winding Up In Israeli Hospitals

Injured Syrian girl treated at a hospital in Safed
Injured Syrian girl treated at a hospital in Safed Yin Dongxun/Xinhua/ZUMA

‘We wondered how we should react until they told us they’d been wounded by the regime forces and had nowhere else to go …’

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In The News

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

Snow in Aleppo on Dec. 21
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 […]

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In The News

The End Of Turkey’s Ottoman Dreams

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul on Dec. 22
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul on Dec. 22 Tolga Adanali/Depo Photos/ZUMA

Ceding to Russia’s influence in Syria is a “rare public humiliation,’ for Erdogan and his ambitions to make Turkey a world diplomatic power.

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Ideas Syria Crisis

Why The War In Syria Is Far From Over

A pro-government Syrian soldier prepares ammunition in Aleppo.
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.

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In The News

Syrian Brothers Split By War Report From Both Sides Of Border

Syrian refugees across the border in Gaziantep, Turkey
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 […]

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In The News

Trump, Just The President Assad Has Been Waiting For

A pro-Assad protester in Warsaw last month
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 […]

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In The News

Spotlight: The Stakes Of Aleppo

The numbers are impressive, terrifying, bone-chilling. At least 20,000 people have fled their homes in Aleppo this week alone, according to the International Red Cross, as the Syrian army and its allies make significant, and perhaps crucial, gains in the eastern part of the city, controlled mostly by jihadist fighters. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for […]

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In The News

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

At the Khmeimim air base
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,” […]

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Ideas Syria Crisis

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

FSA soldier in Aleppo on Aug. 16
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.

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Geopolitics Syria Crisis

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

Soldier running in Bustan al-Qasr, Aleppo
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.

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blog

Two Sides Of The Syrian War

Today, the top United Nations human rights official declared that the targeting of eastern Aleppo in Syria constituted war crimes rarely seen before. “The violations and abuses suffered by people across the country, including the siege and bombardment of eastern Aleppo, are simply not tragedies; they also constitute crimes of historic proportions,” Zeid Ra’ad al […]

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Geopolitics Ideas Syria Crisis

Vladimir Putin Is Playing The West For A Fool

Angela Merkel and Vladimir Putin on Sept. 4
Angela Merkel and Vladimir Putin on Sept. 4 Bernd Von Jutrczenka/DPA/ZUMA

The failure of the Western allies to weigh on the situation in Syria is a humanitarian disaster. It’s also a sign for Putin that he can also have his way elsewhere.

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In The News

Mosul, Mother Of All Battles?

It has finally begun. More than two years since ISIS conquered Iraq’s third-biggest city, a coalition of local ground forces, supported by U.S. air power, has launched a coordinated attack to recapture Mosul. “The time of victory has come and operations to liberate Mosul have started,” Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said in a televised […]

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Geopolitics Ideas Syria Crisis

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

The Al-Ansari neighborhood in Aleppo
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.

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Geopolitics Syria Crisis

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

Syrian children playing in Al-Ghouta, Damascus
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.

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Geopolitics Ideas

After Summer Of Chaos, How Donald Trump Can Calm Our World

Blood, tears and Trump, summer of 2016
Blood, tears and Trump, summer of 2016 Mahmoud Raslan/Worldcrunch collage/Prisma

The past few months have left a feeling of an ever less stable future. But a clean defeat of the Republican in November is the quickest way to bring back some order to the world.

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Geopolitics Syria Crisis

Aleppo Is Even Worse Than Srebrenica — So Is Western Apathy

Survivors of Russian airstrikes in Aleppo earlier this year
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.

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Geopolitics

Where Are The Men Of Damascus?

Men walking in Damascus
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.

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Geopolitics Syria Crisis

One Fighter’s Recruitment — And Escape — From ISIS

ISIS fighters train in Raqqa in November
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

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blog

U.S.-Vietnam Breakthrough, Austrian Dead Heat, Olympic Condoms

SPOTLIGHT: OBAMA VIETNAM PIVOT Following last year’s diplomatic breakthrough on Cuba and ahead of an unprecedented trip to Hiroshima, Japan, U.S. President Barack Obama’s announcement this morning of an end to the longstanding weapons embargo on Vietnam can be quickly dropped into the “historic” file of his presidency. The presence of U.S. Secretary of State […]

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Geopolitics

Evo Morales Ups Ante As Other Latin American Leftists Fade

Evo Morales at Macri's inauguration in December
Evo Morales at Macri's inauguration in December Martin Zabala/Xinhua/ZUMA

Bolivia’s president lost a referendum earlier this year that could have kept him in power beyond 2019. The long-serving leader may try to seek reelection regardless.

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Geopolitics Syria Crisis

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

A screenshot of Ahmad Derwish during the interview.
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.

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Geopolitics

Panama Papers: 15 Scoops From Top International News Sources

Panama Papers: 15 Scoops From Top International News Sources
JCRules/Suddeutsche Zeitung/Worldcrunch collage

MUNICH — What would become far and away the largest leak of information in newspaper history began more than a year ago, when an anonymous source contacted Munich-based daily Süddeutsche Zeitung. The leak consisted of encrypted internal documents from Panama law firm Mossack Fonseca, which sells offshore shell companies to clients around the world who […]

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Geopolitics Syria Crisis

Did Syria Intervention Return Russia To Superpower Status?

Russian planes heading back to Russia from Hmeimim, Syria, on March 15
Russian planes heading back to Russia from Hmeimim, Syria, on March 15 Sputnik/Xinhua/ZUMA

–Analysis – MOSCOW — Vladimir Putin’s decision to withdraw the lion’s share of Russia“s troops from Syria might have come as a surprise, but insiders in Moscow say the timing makes perfect sense. Many factors can explain why now. “Putin promised this operation would be limited in time and wouldn’t lead to an Afghanistan-like stalemate,” […]

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blog

Russia Leaves Syria, Super Tuesday 2, Ancient Find

Russia Leaves Syria, Super Tuesday 2, Ancient Find

RUSSIAN WITHDRAWAL BEGINS IN SYRIA After yesterday’s unexpected announcement from Russian President Vladimir Putin, Russian armed forces have begun to withdraw from Syria on the civil war’s fifth anniversary. A first group of warplanes has already left its Syrian base for Russia, the Defense Ministry said. “The main task now is to take every measure […]

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Geopolitics Syria Crisis

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

A Syrian Kurd family last April
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.

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blog

An Imperfect Syrian Truce, Rising Oceans, Costly Burp

An Imperfect Syrian Truce, Rising Oceans, Costly Burp

A SYRIAN TRUCE, ISIS EXCLUDED The Syrian government and the umbrella group for the main opposition agreed this morning to the terms of a ceasefire that was negotiated yesterday between the United States and Russia, the BBC reports. But the truce, set to begin midday Saturday, excludes ISIS, al-Qaeda and affiliated groups, Al Jazeera reports. […]

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Geopolitics Society

Verbatim: 2015’s Most Notable Quotes

Verbatim: 2015's Most Notable Quotes
Yin Bogu/Xinhua/ZUMA

From politicians to entertainers and ordinary citizens, we take a quick look at some of the words that made news in 2015. “Je suis Charlie” is both a slogan and logo created by French art director Joachim Roncin in the wake of the Jan. 7 shooting at the Paris offices of the French satirical weekly […]

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Geopolitics Ideas

Five Reasons Why Iran Could Be Key To Defeating ISIS

At an anti-ISIS rally in Tehran last year.
At an anti-ISIS rally in Tehran last year. Morteza Nikoubazl/ZUMA

Iranian foreign policy is still a major question mark, even as Western delegations stream through Tehran in the wake of a nuclear deal that promises an end to sanctions and international isolation. But there is no denying that Iran is a major regional power, which holds the real potential of becoming a working partner with […]

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blog

Kremlin Keeps Distance, France Honors Victims, Black Friday Advice

Kremlin Keeps Distance, France Honors Victims, Black Friday Advice

KREMLIN WON’T JOIN SINGLE ANTI-ISIS COALITION Photo: Dai Tianfang/Xinhua/ZUMA The Kremlin said today that Western nations were “not ready” to form a single coalition with Russia to defeat ISIS, AFP reports. The comments come one day after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s meeting with French President François Hollande at the end of a diplomatic blitz in […]

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Ideas Syria Crisis

On Syria, The West Must Now Make A Deal With Russia And Iran

Assad and Putin at the Kremlin in October.
Assad and Putin at the Kremlin in October. The Kremlin

-OpEd- PARIS — A majority of historians describe the Spanish Civil War, fought from 1936 to 1939, as a dress rehearsal for what came next, World War II. Will historians of the future be saying the same about the Syrian civil war? All you need to do is replace Nazi Germany and the Italian fascists […]

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blog

Hollande’s Implicit Plea For U.S. And Russia To Work Together On ISIS

Hollande's Implicit Plea For U.S. And Russia To Work Together On ISIS

HOLLANDE: U.S. AND RUSSIA MUST COOPERATE During a joint parliamentary session at the Palace of Versailles Monday, French President François Hollande called on the United States and Russia to combine forces against ISIS after Friday’s terror attacks in Paris that left at least 129 dead. The speech, in which Hollande reiterated that France is at […]

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Geopolitics Syria Crisis

Caging Their Kids: How Syrian War Reached A Ghastly New Low

Caged women paraded in Douma
Caged women paraded in Douma Roger de Pipard/YouTube screenshot

The strongest armed group in Douma, Syria, paraded caged detainees, including Syrian army officers and women and children, for several hours to try to deter future government attacks. Syria Deeply spoke with residents to get their reactions.

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