Syria

Obama on Turkey: A Partnership that Delivers

Jorge Benitez — Mon, 20 May 2013 10:27:40 -0500

From Barack Obama, White House: Turkey and the United States have been partners since shortly after the birth of the modern Turkish Republic.

Syria: Will Geneva Happen? Should it Happen?

Frederic C. Hof — Mon, 20 May 2013 10:09:45 -0500

As preparations continue for an international conference aimed at jump-starting intra-Syrian negotiations to be held in Geneva in mid-June, the prospective value of the initiative is increasingly in doubt. Bashar al-Assad is making it clear to the news media that he intends to stay on and run for president in 2014, something that cannot happen if the June 2012 Geneva formula is implemented faithfully and accurately by Syrian negotiators.

Obama's Turn Inward Poses Risk for US Interests Abroad

Jorge Benitez — Mon, 20 May 2013 09:58:54 -0500

From Fred Hiatt, Washington Post: [T]he dominant impression among foreign officials is of a policy of retrenchment. They see a steady reduction in the size of U.S. armed forces that will mean less ability to intervene and influence.

Russia Sends More Advanced Missiles to Aid Assad in Syria

Jorge Benitez — Fri, 17 May 2013 17:03:24 -0500

From Michael R. Gorden and Eric Schmitt, New York Times: Russia has sent advanced antiship cruise missiles to Syria, a move that illustrates the depth of its support for the Syrian government led by President Bashar al-Assad

Challenges in Measuring Violent Conflict, Syria Edition

Jay Ulfelder — Fri, 17 May 2013 10:23:57 -0500

As part of a larger (but, unfortunately, gated) story on how the terrific new Global Data on Events, Language, and Tone (GDELT) might help social scientists forecast violent conflicts, the New Scientist recently posted some graphics using GDELT to chart the ongoing civil war in Syria. Among those graphics was this time-series plot of violent events per day in Syria since the start of 2011

Syria: Does the Threat of Sectarian ‘Cleansing’ Stay the West’s Hand?

Frederic C. Hof — Fri, 17 May 2013 09:13:20 -0500

Arguments that the West should avoid arming Syrian rebels in order to forestall wholesale slaughter or forced exile of Alawites, such as that advanced recently by Joshua Landis, deserve careful consideration and also need to be placed into proper context.

How Turkey and Israel Could Force US Action in Syria

Sarah Grebowski and Maksymilian Czuperski — Thu, 16 May 2013 13:01:33 -0500

Early this week, the world looked to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan for a response to the bombings in Reyhanli that killed 47 people and left more than 100 wounded. It was the deadliest terrorist attack in Turkey since the 2003 Istanbul bombings, shocking the nation and fueling anxiety over the war in neighboring Syria.

Frederic Hof on US Position in Syria Crisis (BBC World Service)

Jason Harmala — Wed, 15 May 2013 12:08:58 -0500

Hariri Middle East Center Senior Fellow Frederic Hof speaks with the BBC’s Tim Franks about the cautious US position with respect to resolving the Syria crisis.