Recently the news broke that three Israeli citizens were arrested and charged with spying for Syria. Apparently the arrests took place in early july but were only announced last thursday due to a court gag order. A father and son Druze tandem teamed with another Arab Israeli citizen to spy on several targets in northern […]
Some might remember a certain incident a few years back. Very hush-hush. Israeli bombed something in Syria, only no one was sure what exactly was bombed or why. For some background reading try here, here, and here. The Israeli’s eventually said they had attacked a nuclear reactor of North Korean vintage. The Syrians have remained […]
As previously discussed in this blog, Syria and Turkey have become much closed in recent years. That trend has continued in an issue especially close to this bloggers heart. Syria and Turkey are cooperating in efforts to save the endangered Northern Bald Ibis, a species thought to have only one active breeding pair left in […]
Well, apparently those along the Israeli Lebanese border didn’t read my birthday plea for peace. Today was only the latest clash along the often contested border. Since the fighting took place between the IDF and Lebanese Army, I don’t think this particular skirmish is going to be the catalyst for anything bigger. The alarming thing […]
Just a few links to the good work of others on the Beirut summer party/summit. Qifa Nabki sees the summit as a means of temperature taking. Nick Noe suggests that the STL will undermine Hezbollah internationally, hurting it’s image and potentially delegitimizing it. And this Time article lays out the main points. Everyone paying attention […]
Apparently Saudi King Abdullah shares my wish for peace. The Saudi King has come to Damascus today in an effort to quell growing tensions over news that Hezbollah members could potentially be indicted by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL). King Abdullah will also be moving on to Beirut sometime friday. The trip is significant […]
When I was a young, bubbly lad my mom used to do something for me on my birthday every year. I was an only child, and she enjoyed indulging me I think. She would give me one wish. Her only rule was that my wish had to reasonable, something within the realm of possibility. Sometimes […]
Increasing ties between Syria and Turkey have been making headlines for sometime now, so that means it’s time to discuss the issue here. The process of rehabilitating relations has been ongoing for over a decade now, and over the past year the pace of rapprochement has quickened significantly. This powerful new friendship is multifaceted, with ties […]
Yours truly has just returned from a rather exceptional concert here in Damascus. The Gorillaz played the Damascus citadel tonight, adjacent to famous Souk al-Hamediyeh, and put on a GREAT show. The band put on a memorable performance which featured soul legend Bobby Womack, two thirds of the landmark Hip Hop collective De La Soul, […]
In the past week the Syrian Government has banned the Niqab, or full face veil, from school campuses. While no formal announcement has been made, and enforcement has been spotty, word spread through Damascus as university employees wearing the full face veil were transferred out of the classroom. The ban would cover, or uncover in […]
WOW! That was all I could say when I heard the news that Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah had announced that members of Hezbollah would be indicted by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL). This is HUGE news and it has the potential to change the regional status quo in several major ways. The most important implication […]
Hi. My name is Walter Raubeson and I want you to know more about Syria. I don’t think anyone is really covering the place very well at the moment so, hopefully, I’ll be helping you to understand the place just a little bit better. It’s certainly a complicated spot, full of subtlety and nuance, even […]