This week has seen the chances of success for the Syrian opposition go from slim to none. The revolutionary moment has passed and the Assad regime is no longer in immediate danger of being deposed by the Syrian protest movement. Protests will continue in pockets of ongoing resistance, however, the regime has succeeded in isolating […]
For the third friday in a row, casualty numbers have declined in ongoing Syrian protests. It would appear that the large scale preemptive arrests carried out by the government over the previous days have been successful in keeping protest numbers down. Reports also indicate that the international Red Cross/Red Crescent has been given access to […]
As unrest continues to grip Syria, and opposing viewpoints continue to battle it out over the airwaves, in the pages of newspapers and magazines, and over the interwebs, let’s try to take a look at some of what is going on; both in Syria, and in the battle to frame what is happening there, shall […]
The past few days have been telling in the ongoing struggle to determine Syria’s future. At this stage last week, momentum seemed to be building for the opposition as demonstrations gained numbers and force by the week. Certainly there are still significant elements working towards the downfall of the Assad regime, both in the streets and […]
This humble blogger suggests everyone simmer down a bit. Yes, the violence used by the Syrian government against its own citizens is deplorable. That violence could, of course, get worse. But let us try to keep some perspective on this.
The following piece was originally published in Washington Times on Wednesday, April 27, 2011 by Gary C. Gambill Gary C. Gambill is the former editor of Middle East Intelligence Bulletin and Mideast Monitor. Since the outbreak of the Syrian uprising five weeks ago, President Obama has declined to call for Bashar Assad to step down […]
As Syria continues to boil, with reports of increased violence in Latakia, and a continued heavy military presence in Dera’a, the international community is now debating its response. The US has been the most outspoken regarding the need for action. The Obama administration is mulling a series of targeted sanctions in response to recent outbreaks […]
At the beginning of the “Arab Spring” Syria was seen as the steady, stable Arab nation that was immune to the changes sweeping the region. 6 weeks ago, President Assad was still seen as a potential agent of reform. 6 weeks ago, everyone thought that the Syrian regime still had time. Wrong, wrong, and wrong.
Well, all seems to have returned to normal in Lebanon as the shebab have vacated the streets of Tripoli after setting a bunch of stuff on fire. For post-mortems on the recent spat of violence check out these links–Qifa Nabki calls out both March 8th and March 14th for being hypocritical and I can’t help […]
A few links to share before lights out (it is currently 2:44 am Damascus time) In a follow-up to my earlier post on Lebanon, Beirut saw demonstrations in support of Saad Hariri break out Monday evening and An-Nahar is reporting that the protests have spread across Lebanon. The An-Nahar story also quotes US officials as […]
Could someone please tell me how THIS GUY has become the “decider” in Lebanese politics? Anyway, as I’m sure you know Lebanon has been going through some issues lately. Obviously Syria is deeply involved so I will do my best to discuss the Syrian side of events while trying not to get too caught up […]
With a new Ambassador in town I wanted to get some fresh ideas and opinions represented here on the FPA Syria blog. So I asked the two most interesting people I could think of to comment on the new Ambassador. It has been a bit lonely writing solo these past months and I wanted to […]
Well just when you thought US-Syria relations where stuck in a rut we get a major curveball from Pres. Obama. Robert Ford has been pushed through as US ambassador to Syria as part of a series of recess appointments by President Obama. While the manner of his appointment will limit the term of his ambassadorship, […]
First of all let me wish everyone out there in Blog Land a very Merry Christmas. Yours truly has finished all his shopping and wanted to leave a little stocking stuffer for his readers. The big story of the day is another roll up of a mossad asset in the Levant. It appears an Egyptian […]
Because I’m feeling quote happy these days I’ll bludgeon you over the head again with a relatable quip– “Get busy living, or get busy dying.” The movie buffs amongst you will recognize those as the words of Andy Dufresne, the hopeful, wrongfully imprisoned banker in The Shawshank Redemption. It’s fair to say that Syria has […]