U.N. observers caught up in Syria violence
BEIRUT: At least 21 people were killed Tuesday in an attack in northern Syria, activists said, and members of a team of U.N. monitors caught in the battle said they […]
Kilo’s options: War or Assad
By ABDUL RAHMAN AL-RASHID ARABNEWS Syrian political activist living in exile Michel Kilo believes that the available alternative after the downfall of President Bashar Assad is an internal war turning into a protracted regional one involving the two superpowers. This was what he wrote in his article in Asharq Al-Awsat, […]
Jordan opens new Syrian refugee holding facility amid emerging humanitarian crisis
by Taylor Luck | JORDAN TIMES RAMTHA — Jordanian authorities have opened a third holding facility for Syrian refugees amid an ongoing influx of Syrians carrying stories of kidnappings and […]
Prepare for the long haul in Syria
By Michael Young, The Daily Star, Lebanon One thing that the Lebanese can usually do with some precision is predict stalemate. Their own conflict between 1975 and 1990 was one long, debilitating lesson in destructive deadlock. So when those in Beirut look toward Syria today and shake their heads, that’s […]
Syria holds elections as violence rages
By Mariam Karouny, The Daily Star, Lebanon DAMASCUS: Syrians voted in a parliamentary election on Monday touted by authorities as a milestone of political reform but dismissed by the opposition […]
Turkish soldiers guard sacred tomb in Syria
By Christopher Torchia, Daily Star, Lebanon ISTANBUL: It’s a tiny plot of Turkey deep within violence-torn Syria – a sacred mausoleum guarded by Turkish troops. The memorial to Suleyman Shah, […]
After the Arab spring, the sexual revolution?
Source: The Guardian Author: Martin Chulov, Eileen Byrne, and Abdel-Rahman Hussein An explosive call for a sexual revolution across the Arab world in which the author argues that Arab men “hate” Arab women has provoked a fierce debate about the subjugation of women in countries such as Egypt, Morocco and […]
A Syrian Christian’s opinion
These views were expressed in a ‘National Public Radio’ Talk Show on 12th April 2012: See here for full article. A woman calling from Pennsylvania offering a far different perspective: I’m a Syrian-American. I grew up in the United States. My parents decided to leave Syria when Hafez al-Assad was […]
Arab youths have just started to act
By Rami G. Khouri The Daily Star, Lebanon People often tell me that I sound very optimistic when I speak about the future of the Arab world. It is true […]
Swiss envoy lauds Jordan’s efforts to aid Syrian refugees
by Taylor Luck | Petra | JORDAN TIMES RAMTHA/AMMAN — A Swiss humanitarian envoy on Monday confirmed his country’s support for Jordan’s efforts to host refugees, as relief agencies reported a rise in the number of injured Syrians crossing into the Kingdom. During a field visit to Mafraq and Ramtha […]
UN delegation of the ‘terrified’ in Syria
By TARIQ ALHOMAYED ARABNEWS Rather than the delegation of international observers in Syria monitoring the Assad forces implementation of the cease-fire — according to the Annan initiative — we saw the Free Syrian Army (FSA) protecting the Blue Berets, particularly in Homs, where the head of the observer mission, Col. […]
Swiss envoy to visit Jordan, discuss aid to Syrian refugees
Petra | Apr 21,2012 | JORDAN TIMES AMMAN — The Swiss government envoy in charge of humanitarian assistance to Syrians in Jordan, Manuel Basler, is scheduled to arrive in Amman today to become acquainted with the conditions of Syrian refugees in the Kingdom. During his two-day visit, Basler will meet […]
Nasrallah, Assange and injustice in Syria
By Michael Young The Daily Star, Lebanon Which devotee of the anti-globalization left, enlivened by anti-Americanism, could resist a frisson of pleasure when watching Julian Assange interview Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, […]
Jordan prepares makeshift camps to confront Syrian refugee ‘overflow’
by Taylor Luck | Apr 16,2012 | JORDAN TIMES RAMTHA — An ongoing influx of thousands of Syrians into Jordan is prompting authorities to open makeshift ‘holding facilities’ for the […]
Iran, Syria, North Korea: Is the world sitting on a tinderbox? WW III
Daily Telegraph: by David Blair: The conference centre was cleared of alcohol, a prayer room prepared and female officials advised to dress with a special touch of modesty. When Iran’s […]
Jürgen Todenhöfer: The West doesn’t want democracy in Syria
The Middle East expert and former member of the German Bundestag for the CDU party, Juergen Todenhoefer (Jürgen Todenhöfer), has sharply criticized the one-sided coverage of many media about the […]
Syrians not allowed to visit for Umrah
By JEDDAH: DIANA AL-JASSEM Umrah performers from all over the world have started to arrive in Jeddah, but Syrian people are banned from doing Umrah this year due to the cancellation of all flights and bus trips, according to a member of the Haj and Umrah committee at the Makkah […]
Libyans outshine Syrians as boon to Jordan
Kingdom is not the preferred destination for affluent neighbours by Omar Obeidat | Apr 09,2012 | JORDAN TIMES AMMAN –– The Kingdom was not the preferred destination for affluent Syrians, business leaders told The Jordan Times on Sunday. Economic sectors expected businesses in the Kingdom to boom due to the […]
Syria demands guarantees before pull out from cities
Free Syrian Army ‘committed’ to Annan’s plan; mediator ‘shocked’ by surge in violence AFP – Jordan Times DAMASCUS — Syria on Sunday demanded guarantees that armed groups cease fire before withdrawing its troops from protest hubs as agreed with special envoy Kofi Annan, even as a UN truce deadline loomed. […]
Five possible scenarios for Syria, and their impact on Iraq
By Safa A. Hussein The Daily Star, Lebanon Iraqis celebrated the Arab Spring that changed the regimes of Tunisia, Egypt and Yemen. But they are divided about the protests and uprisings in Bahrain and Syria. On the surface, it seems that this is merely a reflection of the sectarian divide […]