As the regime’s ability to govern Syria declines, it is being transformed into a powerful militia that has little incentive to compromise
Free Syrian Army
When Syria’s Dust Settles, Will Assad Be Replaced by a ‘Junta in a Box’?
Frustrated by opposition failures and anxious over what would follow Assad, Western and Arab powers appear to be auditioning defector Manaf Tlass for a role in an interim ruling military council
As Aleppo Braces for a Bloodbath, Syria’s Regime is Far From Beaten
Rebel attacks on Syria’s two key cities had raised expectations that Assad was about to fall, but those may have been the Syrian equivalent to Vietnam’s Tet Offensive
What Assad’s Regime Lost in a Devastating Damascus Blast
In a severe low to the regime’s inner circle, Assad lost four of his top lieutenants, including his brother-in-law. He also lost the all-important sense of invulnerability.
Must-Reads from Around the World, July 11, 2012
Today’s required reading: an interview with the Taliban, reporting from flood-hit Russia and go “inside Syria.”
Damascus Blasts: Are Terrorists the Wild Card in Syria’s Power Struggle?
The twin suicide car bombings that reportedly killed 55 people and wounded 372 in Damascus on Thursday prompted a familiar set of responses: state television blamed unspecified “terrorists” for the atrocity, in keeping with its …
In Syria, Lebanon’s Most Wanted Sunni Terrorist Blows Himself Up
Lebanese terror leader Abdel Ghani Jawhar detonated himself accidentally in Syria, raising questions about the kind of company the rebels are keeping
Syria: As His Adversaries Scramble for a Strategy, Assad Sets His Terms
That which has not been achieved on the battlefield can rarely be achieved at the negotiation table, and the harsh reality facing Syria’s opposition is that the regime of President Bashar al-Assad has not been defeated, nor is it …
Why Syria’s Peace Process is a Continuation of War By Other Means
Skepticism by Syrian opposition groups and their foreign supporters over the Kofi Annan peace plan ostensibly accepted by President Bashar al-Assad is hardly surprising: The plan specifies no timetable or sequence for its …
As Assad ‘Accepts’ Peace Plan, Can Syria Reset its Rebellion?
Three sets of meetings in different capitals on Tuesday offer a bleak reminder that Syria’s uprising against President Bashar al-Assad faces something of a do-over. Syrian opposition figures are gathered in Istanbul at the behest …
Why a U.N. Syria Peace Plan Poses a Challenge to Rebels
The Kofi Annan peace plan unanimously endorsed Wednesday by the U.N. Security Council may pose an even greater dilemma for the Syrian opposition than it does for the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. That’s because while it …
One Year Into Syria’s Bloody Rebellion, the Assads Are Eating Fondue and Watching Harry Potter
Which Hogwarts house does President Bashar al-Assad identify with when he curls up on the couch with his wife to watch Harry Potter and the Death Hallows Part II? And when he emails her the lyrics from country-and-western crooner …
As Kofi Annan Arrives to Mediate, Syria’s Assad Regime is Far From Beaten
The defection of Syria’s deputy oil minister to the country’s year-old rebellion briefly captured headlines on Thursday, hailed in the West as a hopeful sign that the regime of President Bashar al-Assad may be starting to …