Topic: Syria

Russia Just Sent Bashar al-Assad More Missiles

REUTERS

Russia, one of the few remaining friends of Bashar al-Assad's regime, just sent the Syrian government some advanced antiship missiles.

By Adam Clark Estes

Feb 7, 2013

Rare Good News From Syria: A Dance Video Set to Usher

You've probably read a lot of scary stuff about what's going on in Syria right now, and that's fine, because it's the truth. That's why it's refreshing to see some happy Syrian faces for once.

Comments | 1,207 Views

By Esther Zuckerman

Feb 4, 2013

Trimming the Times

Timbuktu's Artifacts, Joe Flacco, and Dr. Seuss' Hats

A summary of the best reads found behind the paywall of The New York Times.

Comments | 862 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Feb 4, 2013

Israel and Assad Trade Words Over Attack in Syria

Israel still isn't (officially) talking about what they were doing in Syria last week, but American officials have revealed a few new details about their cross-border attack.

Comments | 345 Views

By Adam Clark Estes

Jan 31, 2013

Now Is Not a Good Time to Vacation in Damascus

A Russian judge recently thought it would be a good idea to take his holiday in Syria and pretend to be a war correspondent. And guess what happened: he got shot in the face and almost died.

Comments | 862 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Jan 31, 2013

Iran and Syria Threaten Retaliation for Israeli Strike

Both Iran and Syria are ramping up the rhetoric this morning, not-so-subtly threatening Israel over its attack within Syria's borders on Wednesday.

Comments | 982 Views

By Adam Clark Estes

Jan 22, 2013

Evidence That Syria Used Chemical Weapons Is Stacking Up

After a report last week presented some startling evidence that Bashar al-Assad had used chemical weapons against his own people, a follow up this week only bolsters the case.

Comments | 4,138 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Jan 22, 2013

Russia Sends Planes to Pick Up Its Citizens Who Evacuated Syria

Russia's "Emergencies Ministry" has reportedly sent two airplanes to Lebanon, so that it can evacuate more than 100 Russian citizens who have fled Syria

Comments | 1,379 Views

By Adam Clark Estes

Jan 21, 2013

As Extremists Take Hold, Young Syrians Are Getting Pretty Sick of This So-Called Revolution

For many lucky young Syrians, their country's civil war is so routine that they've forgotten what life was like before it started and so confusing that they're not sure what they believe in any more.

Comments | 1,897 Views

By Esther Zuckerman

Jan 16, 2013

Trimming the Times

Curbing Everyday Gun Violence, the Re-birth of the Electric Car, All-American Whiskey

A summary of the best reads found behind the paywall of The New York Times.

Comments | 1,162 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Jan 15, 2013

Report: State Department Believes Assad Used Chemical Weapons on Syrian People

In a classified leak that could signal a crossing of President Obama's "red line," a report surfaced Tuesday evening that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his military forces used poison gas in a deadly attack last month.

Comments | 3,242 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Jan 11, 2013

Syrian Rebels Take Over Key Government Air Base

In yet another sign that the opposition to Bashar al-Assad's military may be able to fend for themselves, rebel forces in Syria say they've taken full control of the Taftanaz air base.

Comments | 471 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Jan 9, 2013

Syrians Exchanged for Iranians In Giant Prisoner Swap

A prisoner swap between the Syrian government and rebels forces reveals what Bashar al-Assad's thinks the life of one of his own citizens is worth: About 2 percent of an Iranian's. 

Comments | 1,022 Views

By David Wagner

Jan 8, 2013

Today's Best

Five Best Tuesday Columns

David Brooks on Chuck Hagel, Gabrielle Giffords and Mark Kelly on guns, Ramesh Ponnuru on the debt ceiling, Simon Tisdall on Syria, and Michael Specter on genetically modified crops.

Comments | 1,463 Views

By Esther Zuckerman

Jan 8, 2013

Trimming the Times

Stopping Syria's Chemical Weapons, Autopsies Gone Bad, and Jimmy Kimmel

A summary of the best reads found behind the paywall of The New York Times.

Comments | 482 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Jan 7, 2013

Egypt's Morsi Says Assad Should Be Tried for War Crimes

In an interview with CNN this weekend, Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi reiterated earlier calls for Syrian president Bashar al-Assad to step down, and even agreed with the idea that he should be tried for his crimes.

Comments | 1,441 Views

By Connor Simpson

Jan 6, 2013

No One Is Happy with Assad's Big Speech

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad made a rare public speech Sunday -- his first since June of last year -- and, not surprisingly, he did not step down. This did not please very many people. 

Comments | 517 Views

By Connor Simpson

Jan 5, 2013

Bashar al-Assad to Make Rare Public Speech Sunday

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad plans to make his first public speech since Jun on Saturday, but no one's really sure what he's going to say. 

Comments | 2,912 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Jan 3, 2013

Bored, Lonely Japanese Man Becomes a 'War Tourist' in Syria

Calling himself "a combination of samurai and kamikaze," a Japanese truck driver is so bored with life at home that takes vacations in Syria, photographing the war from the front lines.

Comments | 11,391 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Jan 2, 2013

Can an Anti-Blackout Save Journalist James Foley in Syria?

We may never know whether imposed silences by their parent organizations helped NBC News's Richard Engel or The New York Times's David Rohde escape, but the Agence France-Presse is now trying the opposite.

Comments | 1,766 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Jan 2, 2013

Death Toll From Syria's Increasingly Grim War Passes 60,000

As disturbing videos surfaced, bombs went off, and another journalist disappeared, the conflict in Syria reached a macabre milestone this week.

Comments | 990 Views

By Connor Simpson

Dec 30, 2012

U.N. Envoy's Outlook for Syria Is Not Good

U.N. envoy to Syria Lakhdar Brahimi isn't mincing words when it comes to how bad it is in Syria right now. It's already terrible and it's only getting worse. 

Comments | 1,035 Views

By Connor Simpson

Dec 29, 2012

Bashar Al-Assad Barely Goes Outside Anymore

The Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad is so paranoid about assassins coming for him that all of his meals are thoroughly vetted before he eats them, and he rarely ventures into the great outdoors anymore. 

Comments | 2,473 Views

By David Wagner

Dec 28, 2012

Today's Best

Five Best Friday Columns

Noam Scheiber on the truth about the fiscal cliff, Paul Krugman on the end of growth, Robert Samuelson on elite high schools, Walter Russell Mead on Syria, and Bruce Crumley on France's colonial legacy.

Comments | 2,280 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Dec 28, 2012

Russia Tells Assad to Start Talking to Syrian Rebels

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is pushing harder for actual negotiations to take place to end the Syrian civil war, but continues to insist that his country will not support any actual intervention.

Comments | 336 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Dec 26, 2012

Is a Top Syrian Defector Hiding in the United States?

A British newspaper report had spurred furious speculation about the whereabouts of one of the Syrian regime's top defectors and rumors that he may be working with intelligence officials in the U.S. 

Comments | 1,379 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Dec 25, 2012

The Pope Isn't Likely to Get His Christmas Wish for Peace This Year

During his annual Christmas address at the Vatican this year, the Pope prayed for peace in Syria, something that doesn't look likely any time soon.

Comments | 1,724 Views

By Adam Clark Estes

Dec 24, 2012

Syrian Rebels Say Assad's Troops Just Attacked Them with Poisonous Gas

It's unclear exactly what exactly happened in Homs on Sunday, but it doesn't sound good.

Comments | 9,105 Views

By Connor Simpson

Dec 23, 2012

Syria Bombed People Lined Up for Bread

Maybe Russia wouldn't have ditched Bashar al-Assad if he stopped doing gross stuff like bombing a line-up of Syrian citizens lined up to get bread because there's an food shortage because of the civil war there. 

Comments | 2,991 Views

By Connor Simpson

Dec 22, 2012

Even Russia Is Too Grossed Out to Host Assad Now

Russia has been Syria's Bashar al-Assad's staunchest ally during it's long war against his citizens, but now they're even trying to distance themselves from the embattled leader. 

Comments | 9,067 Views

By Esther Zuckerman

Dec 21, 2012

Trimming the Times

Snow Returns to the Midwest, Bloomberg Gets Angry, and Truffles

A summary of the best reads found behind the paywall of The New York Times.

Comments | 1,143 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Dec 20, 2012

Putin Dumps on America, Assad, and Mayans in 3-Hour Q&A

Russian President Vladimir Putin took questions from the media in a marathon press conference today that covered everything from Gerard Depardieu to the end of the world, and even a few things that actually matter.

Comments | 3,179 Views

By Esther Zuckerman

Dec 19, 2012

Trimming the Times

Disaster in Syria, Obama's Defining Moment on Guns, and Tamales

A summary of the best reads found behind the paywall of The New York Times.

Comments | 345 Views

By David Wagner

Dec 18, 2012

Today's Best

Five Best Tuesday Columns

Jonathan Cohn on the emerging fiscal cliff deal, Frank Bruni on a shooting's aftermath, Jeffrey Toobin on the Second Amendment, Haytham Manna on Syria, and Josh Kraushaar on Tim Scott.

Comments | 4,011 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Dec 18, 2012

NBC News Reporter Richard Engel and His Crew Freed from Syrian Kidnappers

NBC News has revealed that their top foreign correspondent Richard Engel and his crew have been released from captivity after going missing in Syria for nearly a week.

Comments | 5,208 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Dec 17, 2012

Syria's Vice President Pushes for Peace Talks

Farouk Al-Sharaa is technically still the vice-president of Syria, but is quick to remind everyone that he doesn't make any decisions on behalf of the regime. 

Comments

By Adam Clark Estes

Dec 16, 2012

What Happens If the Syrian Rebels Steal Assad's Chemical Weapons?

It's scary enough to think of what the Assad regime could do with the several hundred tons of chemical weapons that are scattered across Syria. It's simply horrifying to think of what terrorists would do. 

Comments | 814 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Dec 14, 2012

U.S. Troops Are Headed to Turkey to Defend It Against Syria

The United States has agreed to send two Patriot missile batteries to defend Turkey's border against Syria missiles, and that also means 400 more American troops will be on the ground and closer than ever to the ongoing fight in Syria. 

Comments | 1,379 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Dec 13, 2012

Russian Minister Is Worried the Syrian Rebels Might Win

A high ranking Russian minister has publicly admitted that the Syrian government might lose its civil war, but doesn't seem excited about the possibility of a future without Bashar al-Assad.

Comments | 747 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Dec 12, 2012

Obama Is Not Happy About Syria Using SCUD Missiles Against the Rebels

It's the first time Assad's forced have used the weapons inside their own country. A senior official says that Obama administration considers this "a significant escalation" — especially given the possibility that SCUDs could be used to deliver chemical weapons.

Comments | 2,181 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Dec 12, 2012

Damascus is Running Out of Bread

A new crisis is falling upon the war-torn city of Damascus as reports say that food is running dangerously short, just as a long, cold winter is about hit the region.

Comments | 2,401 Views

By Adam Clark Estes

Dec 11, 2012

Obama's Finally Recognized the Syrian Opposition Coalition, So What Now?

The Syrian rebel government scored a major victory on Tuesday night when the Obama administration threw its support behind the coalition. This doesn't mean we'll be sending them weapons anytime soon, though.

Comments | 2,967 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Dec 11, 2012

Syrian Rebels Don't Really Want Any Help from America Anymore

British military leaders are reportedly building a coalition to provide military help to the Syrian opposition, but the rebels are instead turning to an Islamist group that the U.S. says are terrorists — and maybe rejecting American help outright.

Comments | 1,446 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Dec 10, 2012

Are Syria's Rebels as Violent as Assad?

The gains have come with disturbing new signs — video decapitations, al Qaeda links, and more — that the rebels may end up nearly as brutal in victory as the regime they're hoping to replace.

Comments | 2,464 Views

By Adam Clark Estes

Dec 9, 2012

Syrian Rebels Now Have a Tank Powered by a Playstation Controller

As Syria's rebels work to overthrow the tank-equipped Assad regime, they've learned that it helps to have tanks of their own. They deserve bonus points for integrating video game technology.

Comments | 4,483 Views

By David Wagner

Dec 7, 2012

Today's Best

Five Best Friday Columns

John Cassidy on austerity, Paul Krugman on the job crises, Shashank Joshi on Syria, Jamelle Bouie on Bobby Jindal, and Glen Weldon on Bazooka Joe. 

Comments | 2,550 Views

By David Wagner

Dec 6, 2012

Today's Best

Five Best Thursday Columns

Dina Esfandiary on Syria's chemical weapons, David Ignatius on an economic NATO, Ezra Klein on budget bickering, Amy Davidson on Bob Costas, and Nora Caplan-Bricker on Uganda.

Comments | 2,258 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Dec 6, 2012

What Exactly Is Obama's 'Red Line' In Syria?

President Obama said that the use of chemical weapons would bring "consequences" to Syria, but with nerve gas bombs already being filled, would the United States act before Bashar al-Assad unleashes them? Can they act?

Comments | 1,984 Views

By Adam Clark Estes

Dec 5, 2012

Syria's Bombs Full of Nerve Gas Are Locked and Loaded

Bad news: Syria has filled several aerial bombs with the deadly nerve gas sarin and is ready to drop them onto its own people as soon as President Bashar al-Assad gives the word.

Comments | 4,710 Views

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