Topic: Syria

Obama: Syria Isn't Another Iraq

PBS

President Obama defended the administration's decision to "ramp up" their support to Syrian rebel forces by, among other things, providing some lethal aid, during a sprawling interview with Charlie Rose that aired late Monday night on PBS.

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 | 3,716 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

By David Wagner

Dec 5, 2012

Today's Best

Five Best Wednesday Columns

Eliza Gray on Bradley Manning and the TimesDaphne Wysham on the World Bank, Henry Paulson on China's cities, Shadi Hamid on Egypt, and Mark Adomanis on Syria.

Comments | 1,724 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Dec 4, 2012

Russia May Finally Be Willing to Push Assad Out of Syria

Vladimir Putin (who is alive and well!)  met with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan yesterday and reportedly signaled that Russia may be willing to push for a new plan to peacefully remove Bashar al-Assad from power in Syria.

Comments | 2,021 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Dec 3, 2012

The Voice of the Syrian Regime Was Not Spouting Enough Propaganda, Apparently

Jihad Makdissi, who until yesterday was the spokesperson for Syria's foreign ministry and one of the main voices of Bashar al-Assad's regime, has reportedly left the country.

Comments | 827 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Dec 3, 2012

Israel Asking to Bomb Syria's Chemical Weapons

As concern grows over Syria's stockpile of chemical weapons, a new report suggests that one country is already figuring out how it intends to bomb them out of existence.

Comments | 8,939 Views

By Connor Simpson

Dec 1, 2012

The Likely Reason Syria Blacked Out Its Internet: Skype

Bashar al-Assad's efforts to disrupt the pesky rebellion in his country by cutting off access to the internet was probably because the rebels use Skype as a way to keep tabs on his army's movement. Thankfully, the rebels planned ahead. 

Comments | 5,345 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Nov 30, 2012

See How Syria's Internet Disappeared

It's been almost a full day now and the nation of Syria remains completely cut off from the rest of the Internet (and by extension, the outside world.) Internet analysts who watched the collapse in real-time think they've figured out how it was done.

Comments | 2,586 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Nov 29, 2012

The Day Syria Made Its Internet Disappear

Rumors began spreading early this morning that phone and internet services were failing in major Syrian cities, but several Internet traffic companies have now determined that every single Syrian IP address has effectively been blocked.

Comments | 817 Views

By Esther Zuckerman

Nov 29, 2012

Trimming the Times

Fast Food's Big Push, NASA's Digital Nightmare, and an NFL Shrink

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

Comments | 517 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Nov 29, 2012

Obama's Syria Plan Just Got a Little Less Mysterious

According to The New York Times, the White House is "considering several alternatives" to intervention in the Syrian civil war, but remains leery about the backlash of sparking a wider conflict—even as time runs down on how or whether to step in.

Comments | 3,483 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Nov 28, 2012

New Car Bombings Kill Dozens in Damascus

More than 50 people were killed this morning when two coordinated car bombs were set off in a mostly Christian neighborhood in the center of the Syrian capital, prompting fears of a new "Battle for Damascus." 

Comments

By Dafna Linzer, ProPublica

Nov 26, 2012

Secret Plane Carried Cash Stockpile from Russia to Syria

As the Syrian economy began to unravel and the military pressed hard against an armed rebellion, a Syrian government plane ferried what flight records describe as more than 200 tons of "bank notes" from Moscow.

Comments | 3,931 Views

By Adam Clark Estes

Nov 25, 2012

Assad's Troops Wipe Out a Playground Full of Children in Syria

At a certain point, it seemed like much of the world grew numb to the violence in Syria. But it's hard not to be disturbed by a new video showing a street littered with children's bloody bodies.

Comments | 13,801 Views

By David Wagner

Nov 21, 2012

Today's Best

Five Best Wednesday Columns

Mark Bittman on Thanksgiving dinner, Jeffrey Goldberg on Israel, Jeffrey Toobin on the filibuster, Ian Bremmer on Syria, and John Podhoretz on how Obama won.

Comments | 3,623 Views

By David Wagner

Nov 14, 2012

Today's Best

Five Best Wednesday Columns

Thomas L. Friedman on Syria, Chuck Thompson on Texas, Vali Nasr on drones, Christopher Dickey on Jordan, and Doyle McManus on Obama's cabinet. 

Comments | 2,119 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Nov 12, 2012

Israel Trades Shots with Both Gaza and Syria

Israel's military fired weapons into Syria for the second straight day in response to errant cross-border firing that threatens to draw the Israeli's into Syria's civil war. 

Comments | 1,562 Views

By Adam Clark Estes

Nov 11, 2012

Will the U.S. Send Weapons to Syria Now That the Rebels Have a President?

The disparate factions of the Syrian opposition all gathered at a luxury hotel in Doha this weekend and on Sunday night signed an agreement that unites nearly all of the rebel groups for the first time.

Comments | 1,218 Views

By Connor Simpson

Nov 11, 2012

Bibi Won't Back Down from a Fight Right Before an Election

No one can say Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu backs down from a fight. The leader looking for reelection let two old foes know that if they want to start something with Israel, he'd be happy to finish it. 

Comments | 2,586 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Nov 9, 2012

By Dashiell Bennett

Nov 8, 2012

Bashar al-Assad Says 'I Will Live and Die in Syria'

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad gave an interview to Russian-based TV network RT, stating that he has no intention of leaving his country and warned against Western intervention in its civil war.

Comments | 2,069 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Nov 6, 2012

Syrian Rebel Leader Is Pulling for Romney

Although they don't get a vote, there have been a lot of questions about who the rest of the world would like like to see leading the United States for the next four years, and now least one faction of the Syria civil war has made their opinion known.

Comments | 1,165 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Nov 5, 2012

How Swedish Road Flares Became Deadly 'Weapons' in Syria

Of all the sad, true tales to come of the Syrian civil war over the last 20 months, a bizarre story by journalist Robert Fisk in The Independent may be the most ludicrous. And ludicrously off-base.

Comments | 1,663 Views

By John Hudson

Oct 29, 2012

Syrian 'Ceasefire' Collapses into Chaos

Neither side took the United Nations-backed ceasefire in Syria very seriously and on Monday, the tenuous four-day truce collapsed into all-out fighting.

Comments | 517 Views

By Connor Simpson

Oct 27, 2012

Fighting Continues on Second Day of Syrian Ceasefire

The four day ceasefire agreed upon by Bashar al-Assad and Syrian rebels should be observing its second day, but both sides have continued fighting and show no signs of slowing down.

Comments | 172 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Oct 26, 2012

The Syrian Cease Fire Didn't Last Long

The proposed holiday cease fire in Syria was broken before it ever began on Friday, with both sides of the conflict refusing to give up the fight, even for a day. 

Comments | 572 Views

By Esther Zuckerman

Oct 25, 2012

Trimming the Times

Homs, The Islanders, and Picasso

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

Comments | 172 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Oct 24, 2012

Syria Warily Discussing a Holiday Cease Fire

The United Nations envoy to Syria says Bashar al-Assad has agreed to cease fire during the upcoming Eid al-Adha holiday, but will he honor it?

Comments | 570 Views

By Esther Zuckerman

Oct 23, 2012

Trimming the Times

The Home Stretch, the Color Blue, and Pee Wee Football

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

Comments | 253 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Oct 23, 2012

Assad Offers Amnesty, but Not To Anyone Who Needs It

Bashar al-Assad has offered general amnesty for all crimes committed in Syria before today, provided those crimes don't actually have anything to do with the country's ongoing civil war. 

Comments | 342 Views

By John Hudson

Oct 22, 2012

Sectarian Strife Breaks Out in Lebanon

On Monday, sporadic violence in Lebanon broke out in wake of the Friday assassination of Wissam al-Hassan, a top Lebanese security official and longtime critic of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Comments | 565 Views

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